To Start Anew
by hiddenraindrops-kitsune
Summary: Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin, the hottest guy in the whole school...Hermione Granger, bookworm becomes beautiful. These two become Head Boy and Head Girl, though, they are given a task that they must trust, more of love, each other.
1. Chapter 1: How unexpected

**Disclaimer: Obviously, none of these characters belong to me. These are all rightfully J.K. Rowling's creations.**

It's very simple. The first time Hermione set foot in Hogwarts; her destiny was to be friends with Ron and Harry. Harry and Ron were destined to hate Malfoy and Malfoy to hate them. Malfoy came from a pureblood wizarding family, though not a very nice one. His parents taught him how to hate muggle-borns. Therefore, he also hated Hermione, more commonly known as mudblood in his terms.

Hermione brushed her hair out of her face. She was 5'6" and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her hair was not bushy anymore, nor was it frizzy. It was tamer than it had ever been before. It fell down in long elegant curls and her hazel eyes were brought out by her brown hair. She looked into the mirror to see the face she'd seen for so long and noticed that she had changed so much. Hermione splashed water against her face. It was another year at Hogwarts, who knew what would happen?

Draco was also in his bathroom, dressing after taking a long, hot shower. He would be going back to Hogwarts again. There was nothing for him to look forward to. He hated Potty, Weasel King, and the filthy mudblood Granger. He sneered at the thought. Then there were the people that he hated in his own house. Pansy always hanging all over him and Blaise, the man whore. Sure, Draco knew he was the prince of Slytherin house. All the girls, in any house, admired his sculpted body: his hard chest, abs, biceps, etc. He had hard, grey eyes when you looked deep into them, but blue mixed with a tint of silver when looking from a distance. His light blonde hair, almost looking silver, was beautiful to all girls, which made them tackle him. He was god to all girls at Hogwarts. He sighed and wiped his face with a towel and walked out of the bathroom to their car on their way to King's Cross.

Hermione got out of her mother's car and kissed her on the cheek before leaving to find Ron and Harry. She walked around and noticed a tall, red-head man's back standing next to an almost equally tall black-haired man. She raced towards them and ran into someone. She rubbed her head where she made contact and heard the famous drawl of Draco Malfoy. "Watch where you're going, mudblood."

She looked up and saw his smug face. "Ferret…" she said mumbling.

Hermione pulled herself up and stalked off before he even had a chance to say anything else. Draco noticed she had changed a lot during the summer. Her hair wasn't bushy or frizzy. Her face complexity changed, as well as her shape.

_Psh, she's still a filthy mudblood that I'd rather throw myself off a cliff before I ever even get two inches near her._

Blaise walked over to him. "Draco, you all right?"

Draco continued staring at Hermione. Then, he busied dusting himself off. "What were you looking at?" Blaise asked, and then looked over where his gaze was.

"Granger? You were looking at her? Hm, I do see why…she has _changed_ a lot."

"You're a whore, Zabini."

"Really, and what are you, _Malfoy_? Besides, I thought we were on first name terms."

"You are, I'm not."

Draco walked off in another direction to put his luggage in a compartment before everywhere was full. He stalked onto the train and into a compartment. Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise joined him soon after. He sighed, at least he didn't see Pansy yet. His fears were confirmed a bit too early. Their door slid open and the high-pitched squeal of a girl with dark black hair was heard. "AHHHH! DRAKIE! I'VE MISSED YOU SO! Why didn't you write me over the summer? Why?"

"I never do. Sit down, or get out."

She sat down immediately at his side. He heard the faint sound of Granger's voice, "Pansy's found Malfoy," and the sniggers of her two friends. He slouched in his chair sulking, while Pansy stroked his hair affectionately. He took hold of her wrist. "Stop, I just washed my hair."

Her eyes filled with tears as she ran out. "Finally, a moment of peace from that ugly, hideous woman."

Blaise sniggered. "When she comes back, your moment of peace won't seem like it was worth it."

"Hn…like it matters?"

Pansy did come back eventually, with puffy red eyes. "How could you Drakie? I shower you with affection, but what do I get?"

She pulled up her hand as if to slap him, but he slapped her arm out of the way. She started pouting and then crying all over again. She ran out of the compartment again. "That wasn't that bad, Zabini," smirking slightly.

"I stand corrected."

"Bathroom," was all Draco said before leaving the compartment.

He walked down the aisles and found Hermione standing there, waiting for it. She turned to glare at him. "Why'd you have to make her cry? She's never going to get out of the bathroom now."

Draco was confused. "Huh?"

"Just talk to her or something. She rushed here, pushed me out of the way, and then ran in. Do something, Malfoy!"

"Oh, er…" he was at a loss of words.

"Malfoy, I really need to use the bathroom!"

"I didn't need that piece of information, Granger!"

"Then hurry up and apologize you ferret!"

"If I do, then she'll think I love her to death and I feel bad, which I don't, mudblood!"

"Well do something to make her stop crying!"

Their voices started carrying up and down the aisles. People poked their heads out from their compartments to see what was going on. Draco lashed his head about and yelled, "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

They went back into the compartments and Draco looked over at Hermione with hatred. He took a breath and said…nothing. They heard a murmur from the bathroom. "Drakie, is that you?"

Hermione smirked at him in a malicious way that he could've sworn that smirk was from his family. He shook that thought out of his mind. "Y-yes…"

The door flew open, catching Hermione's nose, causing it to bleed. She tried mopping it up, but the door pinned her against the wall while Draco was being bear hugged by Pansy. "You came back for me, Drakie! You came back! I knew you loved me!"

"Shit, get-off-me-you-prat," he struggled to say.

She continued hugging him. "Granger…bloody-hell, help-me!"

"Malfoy, I'm, ugh, being squished against the wall, how can I bloody help you?"

"Fine-filthy-mudblood, what-can-expect-from-someone-so-dirty-blooded? I-didn't-need-your-help-ANYWAY!" He pushed Pansy off. For a girl, she was pretty strong and Draco was already pretty muscular himself. Hermione's nose was bleeding still, all over her muggle clothing.

He looked at her and said, "Damn, she's heavy."

Hermione looked away so he wouldn't see her laughing. "Here."

She looked back over and saw Malfoy handing her a handkerchief. "Keep it; I don't need your filthy blood all over my hands."

She cursed under her breath. "I don't need your SYMPATHY FERRET!"

Hermione tossed the cloth he gave her at his head and walked into the bathroom using tissues to clean herself up. She changed into her robes as well. She pinned her Head Girl badge and walked out back into the compartment with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. "Congrats, 'Mione," Ron said with a small smile.

"Thanks," she said as she blushed.

"So what took you so long?" Harry asked breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, Malfoy. His stupid girlfriend, Pansy, was crying the bathroom so I couldn't get her out. Then Malfoy struts over and I complain to him. And then, Pansy hears his voice and come running out slamming me against the wall with the door against my face. My nose starts bleeding like mad, and so on."

"Ouch, bloody rough time in the bathroom," Ginny said.

Hermione nodded as she stroked Crookshanks. She wanted so badly just to meet Professor McGonagall to learn what the passwords are and get to Hogwarts. Soon enough, they arrived and entered the Great Hall. Dumbledore stood up and said his announcements, "…Head boy and girl are too meet in Professor McGonagall's office after the feast…"

After dinner, she told Ron and Harry the password for Gryffindor and walked steadily to Professor McGonagall's office. She opened the door to see a Ravenclaw, or even a Hufflepuff, but not a Slytherin. Yes, Draco Malfoy was sitting in a seat, leaving one unoccupied.

**_Author's Note: I'm writing this as if Dumbledore didn't die, so just bear with me here. Also, it is kinda typical for the Head Boy/ Head Girl thing, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed this, and review this please! Criticism allowed…_**


	2. Chapter 2: Disaster

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione's breath was caught in her throat. She couldn't speak. "M-Malfoy?"

_This cannot be happening, of all people, Malfoy! His precious daddy probably bought his way in._

"Granger…" he muttered.

_I knew it. Miss I'm- perfect-and-you're-not. Great, I'm stuck with her._

****Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "You'll be sharing a dormitory, no, Malfoy, separate rooms, but the same common room. You are to perform duties given to you _as if you are one_. I am well aware that you dislike each other, but you must at least tolerate each other in the presence of first-years. You will be role-models so I expect you to be on your best behavior. Now, I will lead you to your rooms."

They proceeded out of the office and down a long hallway. The paintings were some that they've never even seen before. They were talking to each other. "Hm, must be our new Head boy and girl." A girl in a painting blushed crimson when she saw Draco and hid behind her curtain. There was a portrait door at the end of the hallway which was their room. McGonagall looked at them and said, "The password's union, hopefully you two can set aside your differences. Change the password whenever you like."

They entered and looked around. It was much more luxurious than the regular common rooms. Hermione took the right room and Draco took the left room. Draco sat on his bed, kicking off his shoes. He opened his luggage and brought out some clothes to change into when he finished his bath. After combing his hair into the perfect way he liked it, he realized he forgot lotion in his room. He didn't want to put on and then take off his clothes, so he just secured a towel around his waist while running to get his lotion. Sadly for him, he left his room door open, and Hermione saw him. "Malfoy?"

"Granger! What the hell are you looking at me for?"

"You're the git that didn't close the door!"

"Shut up, mudblood!"

Hermione looked back down at her books and studied furiously. _Why was I looking over in his direction? I heard the door open and I just looked over. Instinct probably, no one could be too careful._

_But Hermione, you know that you aren't paranoid like that._

_So, I guess I am becoming paranoid with that ferret sharing the same room as me._

_Okay, whatever you say._

Hermione didn't like the little voice in her head. She ignored it and saw Draco take the sofa on her left. He brought out all his books as well. She looked at him incredulously. "What? You don't think I study?" he smirked, "Yeah, I do. That's why I became Head Boy. Daddy doesn't buy everything for me, you know? Hn, I hate him."

She looked back at her books. She didn't want to converse with him. Mostly after he said he hated his father. What kind of conversation would that be? They studied long into the night. Draco broke the sound of scratching quills by yawning. "I'm going to bed."

"Good night then," Hermione said apathetically.

"Hn," was all Draco said.

Hermione yawned a few minutes later and decided to turn in for the night. She walked into her room and changed into a cami with sweats. She lay in her bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Two hours into her sleeping time, she awoke to some very loud mumbling coming from Draco's room. She felt groggy as she turned on her side and tried to go back to sleep. She walked into his room to tell him to be quiet. He was tossing and turning in his bed, almost flopping like a fish out of water. She opened the light immediately and ran to wake him up. She put her hands on his shoulders and shook them. He immediately woke up and pushed her away, hard. Hermione slammed against a wall. "Granger, what are you doing in my room? I get enough of you during the day."

"Insufferable git," she muttered.

"YOU barge into my room and you call ME a git?"

"Yes, ferret, I do! First of all, you woke me up with your loud muttering of whatever and then you toss me against the wall. How polite are you?"

Malfoy sneered. He hated her so much. He was having a nightmare. _If she knew…no, but she can't know. I won't ever tell a mudblood like her. She's dirty coming in on me sleeping. I'm not even wearing a top. _He turned to look at her and saw that she wasn't exactly fully covered either. They were sleeping for Merlin's sake. He noticed how beautiful she has gotten, but then slapped himself. "Get out of my room, Granger."

She stalked out, angry that he didn't apologize or thank her for anything. The next day was already horrid. Hermione walked out of their room early so she wouldn't have to see him. Her mind was all stuck on what happened last night. She knew he wouldn't forgive her for seeing him again like that. _At least it wasn't a towel, he should be happy because of that. _She smiled a little to herself as she ran to find Harry and Ron. Ron saw her coming first. "Hermione, you survived!"

"Ha-ha, very funny Ron."

Harry smiled at them and said, "I guess we should go eat then."

"'Course, I'm starved."

"You always are Ronald," Hermione retorted.

"Shut up."

Everything felt like normal to her again. No Malfoy, no nothing in her mind. She was with Ron and Harry, but then Professor McGonagall came. "Miss Granger, please come with me. You can go to breakfast afterwards."

She found Malfoy already sitting in a seat in McGonagall's office. They glared at each other for a moment and Hermione sat down. "Today, the first years need your assistance of showing them the grounds. You can do that, can't you?"

"Professor, couldn't we just give them maps?" Hermione suggested.

"Sorry, Miss Granger, Professor Dumbledore now requires both Head boy and girl to show the first years around. Remember, you two must cooperate. You may leave."

Draco walked out of the office with Hermione catching up to him. They walked down the corridor in silence. "Granger, I think you get the honors of showing the first-years around. I don't have time for that."

"What? No, you have to do the tour. I mean, what else have you got to do? Your quidditch practice won't get in the way."

"I've got better things to do than show little gits around the school. To make it worse, I'm gonna be stuck with you if I go."

"Malfoy, you are head boy! You have to fulfill your responsibilities!"

"Mudblood, I don't want to. I wouldn't ever want to be stuck with the likes of you. Now you do the job."

"But, you heard McGonagall…"

"You think I care?"

"Insufferable ferret. You better show up."

Hermione stalked off towards Harry and Ron. Draco ruffled his hair. _Bloody hell, I don't want to give a tour to any first year, mostly if I have to share the tour with her. _He sat down by Blaise and he grinned at Draco. "So, what'd McGonagall want?"

"I don't want to tell you, Zabini."

"Aw, come on, Draco, you can trust me."

"I just don't want to tell you."

Blaise turned around and looked over at Hermione. "Hey, how'd it go with Granger last night?" he said while winking.

"I'm not a perv if that's what you're thinking."

"Come on, you can tell me," he said while winking again.

"Sod off."

"Please?"

"I said, sod off," as Draco turned his head the other way, his body tensing up.

"So, Draco, are you telling me that something _did_ happen last night?" seeing no movement from him, Blaise continued. "So something did happen last night!"

Draco turned so suddenly pushing Blaise down. His head hit the floor with a thump. Everyone turned to look at the Slytherin prince and his victim, surprised to see that it was one of his friends. "Nothing, all right. Nothing!"

Draco walked off without another word. He wasn't sure if any of the teachers saw, but frankly, he didn't care. He walked all the way back to his room and sank into a sofa, sulking. He heard someone step in and saw Granger. _No surprise. We're the only two in this room. Besides, it's almost time for the first year's tour. _"Malfoy, get up. We have to go."

Draco turned his head away from her. "I'm not going."

"You sound like a four year old. Get up."

"Go away."

"Don't make me go over there. I'd rather not, and I just want to get this tour over with so we won't have to see each other for the rest of the day."

There was silence from Draco. "Oh, you're hopeless you know, Malfoy!"

She walked over and tugged on his shoulders. "Take your hands off me, Granger."

"Then get up, Malfoy."

"Get your filthy mudblood hands off me!"

He pushed her hands off. Hermione was incensed. "Ferret, you are hopeless! A hopeless, intolerable git! Now get up!"

Hermione went to pull him up again. Draco turned around furiously and she fell by his side, their faces only one inch apart. Hermione moved back. Draco brushed a strand of hair back. Her face was flushed. It was an awkward moment, though Draco was very good at dealing with these moments. "What the hell was that Granger?"

"It was you causing me to fall."

"Yeah, and you just so happened to fall right by me right?"

"Also your fault."

Hermione looked away. _What the hell was that? He was the one that pushed me. But then, why am I blushing? Damn, do you think he noticed?_

_Why do you care?_

_I don't, I just don't want Malfoy getting the wrong idea._

_Right…_

She looked back at him. His face had a pink tinge. What was Malfoy thinking? Was it the same thing that she was thinking? "Come on, the first years," Hermione said.

Draco got up reluctantly and left with her, not saying a word. _That was a weird moment. Granger is weird. Of course she is, she's a mudblood. _He was reassured. There was nothing wrong with him. They saw the first years bustling around in the Great Hall and immediately hushed when they saw Hermione and Draco walking in. Hermione was the first to speak. "Hello, um, welcome to Hogwarts! Today, we will be guiding you around the grounds. So, um, follow us."

Draco was not paying attention. He stood there and then, Hermione pushed him. "What was that for, Granger?" he asked angrily.

"We have to act civil, remember? Come on, the tour's starting."

The first years tried to look over each other to see what was happening. Draco whipped around and said, "Hurry up."

They bustled around. The tour took longer since one particular first year kept losing the group. Almost at the end, Hermione and Draco were up to their tolerance limit, of each other and the first year. Hermione walked took them to the Quidditch field. "Now, this is the quidditch field. Now as everyone knows, first years are not allowed to join their house team. So…"

Her explanation was cut off by Draco mumbling, "Except Potter."

"What was your comment Malfoy?"

"Nothing Granger."

"Oh, it was something. You just can't help thinking that Harry is better than you at flying."

"Right, I'm jealous of Potthead."

"Well, he's everything you're not."

"Oooh…Granger, are you saying you have a crush on Potter?"

"Malfoy, I think that's irrelevant information to the first years."

"So you do?"

"No, I don't. I only…well, that's irrelevant too," she said, blushing.

"So you like Weasel?"

"Shut up, Malfoy. You have no part in meddling with my private information."

"You do!"

Hermione whipped out her wand and pressed it to Malfoy's throat. "Take that back, or die."

"You don't have the guts Granger."

"Wanna bet?" she said with the most hatred she could muster.

Professor Snape unfortunately came, pushing himself through the eager first years. "I thought you two were supposed to give the first years a tour, not duel each other," he turned to glare at Hermione, "I thought you would hold yourself better, Granger. Both of you go to McGonagall and wait for me there. First years, follow me."

Hermione started walking rapidly towards the castle. She wanted to get as far away from Malfoy as she could. _Stupid ferret, why'd he have to go and make comments like that? We were almost finished and then I could get away from him. Now, we're in trouble. He's such an asshole. _ She heard only her footsteps until she heard the voice she did not want to listen to. "Granger, why are you walking so fast?"

She didn't speak. She just started walking faster. She heard footsteps running behind her. "Granger, why are you refusing to speak to me?"

She stopped suddenly and Draco ran into her, pushing her down like a domino. "Stupid prat. Why were you running so fast anyway?"

"Because, you wouldn't speak to me, miss little perfect."

"Ferret, get off me."

They got up and dusted themselves off, and then continued walking on. "Why'd you have to stick a wand to my throat, Granger?"

"If I hadn't, you would've kept going on and on."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. So what if the first years think you have a crush on Potty or Weasel King?"

She turned around blushing at the name of Weasel King. "Don't call them that, ferret."

Snape came around them and startled them. "Why are you two walking so slowly? Hurry up!"

He pushed them along as if they were young children, all the way to McGonagall's office. McGonagall turned to them and sighed. "I expected better of both of you not to fight. Now, as this has happened, you are going to have to serve detention together. I'll inform you on the time later."

Hermione was appalled. Her perfect record was harmed all because of the ferret. "But professor, we were fine until―"

"Until you drew your wand. I'm sorry Miss Granger; you will have to serve detention like Mr. Malfoy. As I said before, I will inform you when and where. You're dismissed."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Professor McGonagall gave her a stern and sorry look. She turned on her heel and went straight out the door. She didn't want lunch. She went straight to her dormitory. _Stupid prat, why'd you have to say those comments? Now I'm in trouble because of it._

_You didn't have to say anything though._

_Well, I wanted to defend my friends just as they defend me._

_You still didn't have to say anything._

_What do you know?_

_I'm your conscience. I'm you._

Tears of frustration started falling down her face. She hated everything about Malfoy at that moment.

_**Author's Note: Okay, this chapter was longer than I expected and it was basically not as good as I wanted it to be. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Review please!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Blood and a Towel

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.**

Draco dragged his feet along the corridor. He had detention. Normally, it wouldn't be that bad, but he had detention with the mudblood. It was probably some _bonding _sort of detention and blah blah blah. Head boy and head girl are supposed to be united like one…blah blah blah. Draco was angrier than he had ever been. He went outside and started kicking rocks around. He didn't want to return to his dormitory. He knew Granger would be there. He didn't want to look at her since she would probably blame the whole thing on him. He walked around in silence for a while and went to sit by the lake. He didn't have any books or anything so he just stared at the crystal clear water. It was shining brightly under the sun, with sparkling glitters upon the ripples. If any person had to destroy the serene moment, it was Pansy. "DRAKIE! WHERE WERE YOU TODAY! I MISSED YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!"

"Get off me Parkinson!"

She climbed off him and stood up. "You called me Parkinson."

"Yeah, so?" he said while standing up.

There was a momentary silence until her eyes glinted with tears. "You bastard!" and she pushed him into the lake.

The water was cold and somewhat refreshing. He came up spitting out water and pushed himself up back onto the grass. He wringed out the water from his robes and had no choice but to return to his dormitory. He sopped back down the hall and into his room. He changed his robes and unfortunately saw Granger walking out of her room. Her face was flushed red from anger and the moment she saw him, her eyes did not look away from his. Draco looked around with a loss of confidence. "McGonagall just told me, our detention is this Saturday night at 8:00 in the Great Hall."

She stalked out of their dormitory without another word. Draco sighed. _At least she didn't yell at me._ He walked out after her and went to eat lunch. He attended his afternoon classes with Blaise over his shoulder. "Is it true that Granger put a wand to your neck?"

Draco stiffened. "Yes," he said grudgingly.

Blaise smirked. "You know, she _is_ really hot."

"Hm."

"If I were in your shoes, I'd go for her before someone else gets her."

"Why would I do that?"

"I think you could get her easily."

"And why would I do that?" he repeated.

Blaise shrugged while smiling and returned to his work. Draco looked into his book, faking that he was reading. Granger constantly glanced back and when she saw Draco, she turned around. He noticed this and looked up from his book from time to time to look at her. _What the hell am I doing? Am I playing a **game** with Granger? That's not possible. But we are glancing at each other…_

His thoughts went on and soon, it didn't even seem like he was reading. He was in a daze. Blaise tapped him on his shoulder. "Draco, class is over."

"What?"

"Let's go."

"Oh, right…"

Hermione walked down the corridor talking with Ron and Harry. "A test tomorrow, I haven't even prepared enough!"

"Hermione, don't worry about it," Ron stated.

"Yeah, you do fine on all of them anyway, even if you don't study," Harry said as well.

"Aw, thanks you guys."

She flung her arms around them and left, leaving Ron red-faced. Harry turned to Ron. "You know, that ball is coming up soon. You should ask Hermione."

"W-What?"

"You fancy her."

"Well, that was stated nicely," said a sulking Ron.

Hermione ran quickly to her room. She wanted to know if there really was going to be a dance. Caught up in her own thoughts, she ran into a grumpy Malfoy with his slut hanging all over him. "Granger," he said nodding his head.

Pansy wanted her out and away. "Granger, get out of here! It's obvious that Drakie doesn't want you here. Look at the angry face he has."

"That's 'cause of you…" she mumbled.

Draco heard and sniggered. "What's so funny, Drakie?"

Hermione smirked. "Yeah, _Drakie_."

"Shut up, Granger.

Hermione walked off smiling. She heard Pansy in the back. "Drakie, who're you taking to the ball?"

"Not you."

"Oh, you're so funny!"

Hermione smirked once again and turned around to find Ron and Harry. "Hermione, why didn't you tell us you got detention?" Harry asked softly.

"With Malfoy, nonetheless!"

Hermione looked at Ron, red-faced. "W-Where'd you hear it from?"

"McGonagall, she told us that your detention would take place on the Quidditch field instead of the Great Hall."

"Oh…ok, Harry."

"What'd you do Hermione? You're gonna be stuck with that prat for the whole night!"

"I-I guess I am. Please stop yelling Ron. What's the matter with you?"

Ron turned even redder than he was before. He walked away from Hermione and Harry. Harry looked both directions and said, "Come on, let's go down to dinner and find Ron."

Hermione nodded. She was angry at Ron again. He was so, ugh, sometimes. _Why does he care if I have a detention with Malfoy. It's not like we're going to do anything except clean or whatever._

_That's because he fancies you, Hermione._

_Ron! No way!_

_You know that he does._

_Sure…_

Hermione started feeling herself grow warm. Harry obviously noticed her grow uncomfortable and he looked over. "Hermione, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-I think I forgot something. I'll go get it," she lied.

"Hermione, we don't have anymore classes. What could you possibly forget?"

"Um, well, you know, I need to check something, like when the ball is and when's our next Hogsmeade visit? I mean, I do need to buy new dress robes."

"Hermione, Hogsmeade is this Saturday. The ball is two weeks from now. There're no worries about it. Come on Hermione, you must be starved."

"No, I'm not really. I just need to go back to my room, that's all."

Harry looked at her skeptically. "Really, Harry, I'm fine."

He nodded his head and set off to the Great Hall by himself. She sank into the couch and felt terrible for lying to Harry. Now, she forgot the reason why she wanted to leave. _Oh right, Ron. Ron, why must you be so tactless at times? I feel terrible about getting a detention and now…you go and make it worse. _Tears of frustration started falling down her face. She forgot that she was not in the privacy of her room. "Granger? Why aren't you down at the Great Hall?"

The voice made her jump. The silky Malfoy stood in front of her. "Are you _crying_, Granger?"

She looked down at her lap and wiped the tears away. "No, what makes you say that?"

"It's obvious that you were crying. Just looking at your eyes, they were all glossy."

Hermione looked up. "And why were you staring at my eyes?"

Malfoy looked away from her and back. "Be-because, that's how people know that they're talking to the recipient."

Hermione smirked. "Your voice faltered."

"That's what you think."

"You're uncomfortable," said Hermione with a bigger smile.

Malfoy advanced on her. "Malfoy, what are you doing?"

He just smirked at her, getting closer to her. _What the hell is he thinking? _"Malfoy, what the bloody hell are you doing?"

He remained silent and stood in front of her. Hermione closed her eyes and then peered to look at him. His eyes were not far from hers, their noses almost touching. She couldn't control herself. She blushed. She blushed because of Draco Malfoy, the boy she always hated. Draco smirked again. "Am I making _you_ uncomfortable?"

Hermione was shaking. "M-malfoy, get of-f me."

"Hmmm, I don't know if I should. Maybe I should kiss you first."

He went too far with his joke. Hermione was terrified at the thought and used all the strength she possessed to push him off of her. He hit his head against the corner of the table and blood flowed readily out. "Aw, shit, Granger, why'd you have to go and it take it seriously?"

"I-I don't know. Here, don't move. I'll get you a towel."

Hermione ran off to her bathroom and got the nearest towel and wetted it. Then she ran back to Malfoy. While pressing the towel to his head, she thought, _what was Malfoy playing at? If he hadn't done that, then he wouldn't have his head all bloodied up. _She felt a hand touch hers. "Granger, I don't need help. I can take care of this myself."

Draco stood up and felt warm liquid fall on his scalp again. "Aw, damn."

"Malfoy, you need to apply pressure to it. Here."

She pressed his hand against his. He felt himself grow warm. _What the…? Am I blushing? _He turned around and looked over at Granger. "I think I'm okay now. Um, you can move your hand."

She started blushing, probably because she realized that her hand was on Draco's. "Well, I'll be going to my room then, Granger. I guess I'll see you at detention."

Granger nodded her head and sat back down in the sofa dazed. Draco turned around and walked to his room. He removed the towel from his head and was glad to see that it had stopped bleeding. He took a shower to get the blood off his hair. _Damn, I still have to return Granger's towel. She had her hand on mine. I've never had help like that. Pansy never even did that and she's obsessed with me. _He shook his head. _No, no, no! What am I thinking? I'm a Malfoy, a pureblood. I will have no associating with mudbloods, _he told himself firmly. _But her eyes, they were full of regret when she was helping me with my head and when I saw her crying, full of frustration. I never even found out why she was crying. She was so…perfect. WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING? _He slapped himself in the face and got out of the shower. He changed and went inside his room. The clock on his wall read 7:04. He would have at least thirty minutes to do something. He then remembered the towel. He walked to Granger's room and knocked. "Yes?"

"Your towel."

"Oh, here," she opened the door and Draco awkwardly handed her the towel. "You didn't wash it."

"You expected me to?"

"Yes, I did Malfoy."

"Well, I'm a Malfoy as you just clearly stated and we do not clean things ourselves."

"Well, I expect you to, ferret."

Draco was frustrated. They were getting along fine and now they're bickering, again. "Well, I'm not going to, mudblood."

She sighed. "Throw it in with the laundry then."

He walked over pompously and tossed it in the basket. "Malfoy, must you be so irritable?"

"Yes."

She closed the door on him and he heard faint scribbling inside. He decided to leave for detention early and walked out of their dormitory.

Hermione sat in her room scribbling furiously in her diary. _That Draco Malfoy is so insufferable. He is such a prat! I hate him so much. Why can't he clean things for himself? He's a Malfoy that's why. I don't care what last name he has or what origin he is, it doesn't matter! He should still wash it. I shouldn't have let him toss it in the laundry basket. Those poor house elves will have to wash it for him. We were getting along fine before, but not washing a towel, something as simple as that, is just irritating! Isn't it? Or am I just being obsessive compulsive? I don't know, I just hate him. There is nothing in this world that can change my beliefs about him. It was his fault he needed a towel. I mean, he was sitting on top of me. What else was I supposed to do, let him kiss me? That would be letting him get away with something and I don't intend let that happen. Although, he seemed so serious about kissing me. I really thought that he was when I knew that he would never kiss the likes of me. Did I want him to? No, I couldn't possibly. He is a git and prat and a ferret. A twitchy little ferret. _She closed her diary and shoved it in her shelf. It was 7:30 and she changed into blue jeans with a regular white polo. She walked to the Quidditch field where she saw Draco already sitting. "Why are you here so early, Malfoy?"

"I didn't want to be in the same room as you."

"Who knew that you loved detention so much?"

"I don't. I just like the night sky and its breeze."

"You like it?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Yeah, everyone in Slytherin is usually annoying. Crabbe and Goyle, those brainless gits, they're the only ones who aren't as annoying because they don't have the brains to be. Being alone is when I can get away from things. That's why, sharing a room with you is a semi-plus. You don't bother me, I don't bother you. It's nice that way. Don't get the wrong idea, I still think you're below me."

Hermione scoffed. "Granger, you don't honestly believe that I like you, do you?"

"For a minute there, you seemed pretty nice and contemplative. I was about to consider being nice to you."

"Oh dear, what a loss…"

"Shut up, you prat."

"Okay, Miss know-it-all."

Before Hermione could retaliate, McGonagall walked up to them. "Oh, at least you two are talking to each other. Talking, not yelling, screaming, or shouting yourselves hoarse. Tonight, you will be helping setting up the ball that we are going to have two weeks from now on this field. The teachers were normally going to do this, but we figured that you two needed to cooperate. Now, the grass needs mowing. Miss Granger, I believe you know what that is since you come from the Muggle world. That is all you will be doing tonight. Normally, it would be mowed by magic, but detention means tedious work. So, off you go."

Hermione looked over and saw the lawn mowers appear. The Quidditch field was a large field. She sighed. She would have to teach Malfoy how to use it and then help him. This was going to be a very long night.

_**Author's Note: Okay, this chapter was not very good, I know. Um, I was actually expecting to have the detention in this chapter, but I decided not to because it was getting a bit long. So the detention and all the sparks are in the next one. Also, I was wondering, would you like me to separate the scenes? I have been thinking about that since chapter 1, but if you would like me to. Send me an e-mail or write a review. By the way, please review! Until next chapter…**_


	4. Chapter 4: Detention and then some

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Writing these disclaimers is tedious…**

Draco stared at the lawnmowers blankly. _What are these things called again? And how am I supposed to use them? No wizard or witch would…oh, Granger, the mudblood. _He turned to her and saw her biting her lip. She didn't want to do this any more than he did. "So, uh, how do you work this thing?"

Draco couldn't believe himself. He was asking for help. No Malfoy would ever ask for help. Help would come to them. He hung his head down as Granger looked at him incredulously. She didn't seem to press the situation further. "Alright, let me explain…"

Hours passed by and Draco finally understood what he had to do. They roamed around the field with the lawnmowers. Draco resisted the temptation to run. He was actually having fun doing this muggle work. It was _fun_. Granger looked over at his part of the field and waved at him. He waved back. They were actually getting along. _This detention isn't so bad after all. These lawnmowers are pretty interesting. I wonder how they work. _Nevertheless, he went to and fro with his mowing. Granger seemed to be pretty skilled as well. They finished after a few more moments and sat on the grass waiting for McGonagall to come and dismiss them. They sat in silence, a few feet away from each other. Draco couldn't resist the temptation to ask how these lawnmowers work. "Granger, er, how do these things work?"

"Well, you know how you pull the cord? That pulls a rudder which makes the motor run. The thing is, it needs electricity, but electricity is not allowed within Hogwarts. I'm confused by that. How did the lawnmowers work?"

"I thought you were smarter than that. McGonagall bewitched them."

"Excuse me?"

"She bewitched them. There's a charm for almost everything these days."

He smirked at her astonished face. He knew she hadn't thought of that brilliant idea of his. "Don't be so happy about it, Malfoy. I just didn't think of the wizarding world while trying to figure out how the lawnmowers worked."

"Well, you should know seeing as Weasel's dad is a muggle-lover. He always fixes those sorts of bewitched muggle items."

"Well, how do you know that?"

"My father's real big in the Ministry. I thought you knew _that_."

"Ooohh…surprise, surprise," she said sarcastically.

"Why must you turn all our conversations into an argument?"

"It's not me who's doing that. It's you!"

"No, you're the one who has to be all sardonic."

"You frustrate me, Malfoy."

Professor McGonagall's figure appeared on the far side of the field. _Thank Merlin, she's here. I can't stand another moment with this girl. _"Well, you've done a fine job. I guess we can leave it at that. Oh yes, Professor Dumbledore told me to inform you two that you will be helping setting up for the ball. So the during the day of the ball, you will not attend your classes but help set up. I suggest you two brainstorm what you would like to see and eat. I'll let you guys go to your rooms now. Good night."

They walked silently into their dormitory and each separately went into their room, without even the slightest good night.

Hermione looked down at the ground of her room. _Draco was so polite during detention. He was very, dare I say, sentimental. He's still the stupid ferret he always was._

_Ah, Hermione, you think you're going soft on him? No, you are starting to think he's a bit attractive._

_I don't think he's attractive._

_Yes, you do._

_Shut up, I have to sleep._

Hermione went to her bed and slept with no dreams.

The next morning she walked out to meet Ron and Harry as usual. Harry and Ron were too engaged in a conversation that they didn't even notice her walking down the hall. She only heard the last bits of their conversation. "…it." "No, I can't." "Do it." "No." She interrupted them with an, "ahem."

Ron turned around and choked on his words. "H-Hermione…good day, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hermione, Ron has to ask you something."

"Harry, shut up," Ron said flushing crimson.

"I'm only trying to do you good, mate."

"What do you have to ask me?"

"Nothing."

"It's something, 'Mione, he's just being stubborn."

"Well?"

"Doyouhaveadatefortheball?"

His words were stringed together, and his mumbling made it even harder to understand. "What?"

He sighed and took a breath. "Do you have a date for the ball?"

"Oh!" She blushed pink and smiled. "No, I don't."

"Wannagowithme?"

"I'm taking that as asking me to the ball. And if it is…yes."

Ron grinned brightly and set off for breakfast in such a great mood. "So, who're you taking Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No one."

"Not Ginny?"

"Nope."

"Oh, okay then. I need to go to the library. I'll see you in class."

She was going to the ball with Ron! Excited as she was, she needed to find a dress that was suitable for the night. She sat in the library reading and then left for class. Now, she just couldn't wait for the ball.

_**Author's Note: This chapter was shorter than the rest. I didn't think a lot should be included in this chapter so yeah. Hogsmeade is the next chapter and maybe a fight will ensue…will it happen?**_


	5. Chapter 5: Hogsmeade Incident

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All its content and characters belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione woke up early that Saturday morning. The sun was only rising. She washed her face and pulled on a white knee-length skirt and a three-quarter yellow shirt. She pulled her hair into a loose bun and walked out into her common room. She found Malfoy sitting in a seat, reading. Hermione was amazed to see him up this early. He never woke up early on the weekends. He looked over at her and stared.

Draco was amazed at Granger. She never seemed like the type to wear skirts, and here she was, standing in front of him looking so beautiful. She looked at him awkwardly, noticing him staring at her. He looked back into the book. "What are you doing up so early, Malfoy?"

"I couldn't sleep last night."

"Oh, well aren't you going to Hogsmeade today?"

"Yeah, I just don't want to change yet."

"Oh."

"Granger, I suggest you bring a jacket with you. It's chilly out."

"I have one sitting on my bed. Why do you care about me all of a sudden?"

"That's nice."

"Malfoy, you're avoiding my question."

"Why do you care?"

"I just want to know why."

"I'm just being noble."

"Slytherins aren't usually noble."

"Well, this is what lack of sleep does to me."

"Does reading help you sleep?"

"Nope, flying usually, but seeing as I'm not gonna go out and fly, I'll just read."

"What are you reading?"

"Nothing that would interest you."

"Maybe it would interest me."

There was silence from Malfoy. Hermione sat down on the sofa and began to study the book she brought out with her. Hours passed and finally the clock struck 9. Harry and Ron would be awake by then, so she left the room. She saw Ginny down the hall waving to her. "Hey, Hermione, over here!"

Hermione ran towards her female friend and asked, "Where's Ron and Harry?"

"They're still sleeping. Last night, they stayed up until three playing wizard's chess. Odd really, they've never played for that long. They would usually quit. Besides, this way, we won't have to split up at Hogsmeade. We'll just go get our dress robes and meet them in Three Broomsticks. I left them a note to meet us there."

"Alright then," Hermione said smiling brightly.

They strode into the shop and looked around. _Malfoy was right, it is chilly out. _Ginny found a nice dark purple one which suited her nicely. It didn't even clash with her red hair. Hermione was still looking around. She didn't want a white one since it would match her skin too much. She rummaged around the samples and found pale pink rose colored dress. The straps hung loose over her shoulder and the bottom of the dress reached her feet. There were beautiful sequins across the top and Hermione looked dazzling in it. She got her measurements from the witch in the shop and paid for it. Then, Ginny and she proceeded to the Owl Post. They ordered their shoes by mail and left for Three Broomsticks to meet Ron and Harry. They saw Draco Malfoy and Ron standing looking at each other as dirt. Ron had a bleeding lip and Malfoy had a bleeding nose. "Oh look Weasel, your girlfriend's here."

"Oh, look Malfoy, that cow over there is waving at you, wait, that's Pansy."

"Shut up."

"Then, you shut up about me."

Malfoy looked at Hermione and nodded as if to acknowledge her and left. Hermione saw his robes go out the door and ran to Ron and Harry. "What happened?"

Harry looked around uncomfortably. "Er, well, Malfoy called you a mudblood and Ron usually doesn't get this angry, but seeing as what happened. Something set him off, and, er, they started hitting each other. Ron, you're lucky Madame Rosmerta was in the back. She would've banned you from here, as well as Malfoy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't need to preach about it."

Hermione looked over at Ron's lip and took a tissue and started dabbing it. "You know, you should really stop getting into fights. Someone might catch you."

"I don't give a damn if someone catches me."

"I do."

Their eyes locked and looked away. "So, Ginny, who're you going with?" Hermione asked to break the silence.

"Oh, well, it's a surprise."

"I think I should know who my sister is going out with," Ron said indignantly.

"You don't even know the guy."

"Excuse me? I think someone in the family has to know the guy before you start dating him."

"Well, you can meet him at the ball."

Ron looked around for support but then back down at his knees. Hermione noticed how uncomfortable the setting was and said, "Hey, how about I order butterbeers for all of us, hm?"

_A few minutes before…_

Draco literally threw open the door in front of him. He was furious with Weasel. He had gotten angry over something that he always said. Weasel just took it more seriously this time around. Draco started speaking to himself. "I always call Granger that, why's he all protective?"

Draco smirked. _He likes the mudblood. _He always knew that deep down those two liked each other. _That's why they're going to the dance together. Although, I bet Granger hasn't told him that she has to go before and then she can meet up with him. Oooh, Weasley isn't going to be happy. _Draco strode around Hogsmeade with his hands in his pockets. He already bought his dress robes months ago. He walked to the Shrieking Shack and rested upon the fence. Barely anyone came here anymore. Draco was glad that he could have some alone time. He stared at the rotting shack and heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Granger. She had a jacket on her like he had told her to bring. "What?" he asked.

"Why'd you punch Ron?"

"Self-defense, he hit me first."

"You sound like a child. Why'd you have to hit him?"

"Self-defense! Do you think I would let someone just punch me around like a punching bag? No, of course not. Malfoys don't go down without a fight."

"Of course, that's why you're a Malfoy."

"Don't be sarcastic Granger."

"Why aren't you here with your bodyguards?"

"What?"

"Crabbe and Goyle, why aren't they with you?"

"They're in Honeydukes, buying as much candy as they can hold."

"I'm guessing Pansy is buying dress robes that will stun you at the ball."

"She might be, but I'm not going with her."

"Then who're you going with?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because, all the girls in Hogwarts are kissing your feet and you're telling me that you're not going with your highest worshipper? If you're not, then you must be going with someone else."

"I'm not going with anyone for your information."

"Oh."

A chilly wind blew across their faces. Draco walked away from the shack without a word. He had the urge to say that he was leaving, but felt that it would be better if he didn't. He felt like a rock was dropped from inside his body when he looked at Granger. She was too pretty to be the Granger he saw in their first year. She had her hands crossed against her chest and her face looking to the side in innocence, avoiding eye contact with him. He walked back to the castle and into the common room which he shared with the mudblood. He lay on the couch and fell asleep. Draco then woke up to the sound of the portrait door opening. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time. He had been asleep for two hours. "It's dinnertime if you want to eat, Malfoy."

"I'll pass."

Hermione turned around and walked out the portrait door after dropping off her belongings in her room. Her head was full of the Hogsmeade incident. Ron had a fight with Malfoy, and it was because of her. She felt terrible, but went to dinner and felt Ron's hand find it in hers. They both turned pink and went on eating their dinner. Hermione gave him a soft smile and then returned to her room.

**_Author's Note: NOOOOOO! My ending sucked. I wanted it to be different but oh well. Thanks to my reviewers (RaveNClaWGeniuS, charlina-moreau hpfan, princess-kristi, GrYfFiNdOrZ GiRl). You're all so kind and here's your next chapter. I think for the next chapter I'm just going to skip to the day of the ball. It'll be Hermione and Draco preparing. Until next time…_**


	6. Chapter 6: Preparation and Peril

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not me.**

Draco opened his eyes to the bright sunlight coming through the window. He looked at the clock and it read 7:30. _Damn, Granger and I have to brainstorm as McGonagall said. What if I don't want to prepare for the ball with Granger? Oh, I already know, McGonagall's gonna lecture me. I'd rather prepare for the ball. _He got up and showered. Then, he slowly walked out of his room. He saw food on the table and Granger was already eating. "Professor Dumbledore told us that we might need the morning to think of the things we'll need so he brought us breakfast. Well, the house elf he sent did. But, we get our morning classes off today. Hurry up and sit down."

Draco sat down on the sofa and picked up a biscut. "Well, what are we supposed to plan?"

"Food, drinks, decorations, no music though. Dumbledore already has that covered."

"Alright, for drinks, pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and water."

"Okay," she said as she scribbled the three things down.

"Decorations should be orange and white streamers and pumpkins. We should have a place where you can take photographs with your dates."

"Sure, whatever."

She scribbled those things down on her paper. Draco looked at her and said, "How about pie for food? I mean, that is what Halloween is about."

"Maybe we should also have apple cider as a drink."

Draco nodded his head. She was really good at this. "You've probably never heard of chili, but it tastes really good when accompanied by chips."

"Alright. How about caramel apples?"

"Perfect."

They went on for three hours, picking up food in-between speaking. It was lunchtime and they both left the room and headed towards the Great Hall. "Malfoy, do we really have to show up at the ball together?"

"Yeah, we do. We have to be there early."

"Oh," Hermione bit her lip.

"What, you don't want to tell Weasel that?"

"He'll have a fit."

"Weasel's really juvenile."

"No, he isn't. He's just over-protective."

They walked in silence for the rest of the way. Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron swallowed all his food and said, "Hermione, why weren't you in class today?"

"Head duties."

"Oh, ok."

Harry looked at her. "What's wrong Hermione? You seem stressed."

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about me," she forced a smile. "I'm fine, the ball is tomorrow and it's going to be great. But I won't be in any classes, so I'll see you guys at night."

"Hermione, where're you going to meet us?"

"You'll meet me at the Quidditch field."

She saw their faces. They were confused. "I have to leave early and the head boy and girl are supposed to welcome everyone. So, I'll meet you guys there, okay?"

Ron didn't have a fit. Instead, he nodded very stiffly and returned to eat his lunch. Hermione looked at her breakfast and ate it. She was tired, but reluctantly went to her afternoon classes. Night fell among them and she returned to her room. She found Malfoy sitting there doing homework. She sat down as well and started doing her homework. She found that he was working on his Potions essay too. She turned to look in her book for the answers she needed.

Draco was so deep in thought he didn't even notice Granger come in. He wrote down his last sentence to complete his essay. He stretched and saw Granger sitting there. "When'd you come in?"

"A few minutes ago, while you were working on that." She pointed to his essay.

"Oh, I didn't hear you."

"I would guess so. You didn't even look up like you usually do."

"I was kind of absorbed in what I was doing. I'm sorry that I didn't give you the recognition you deserve," he mentioned sarcastically.

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny. Professor McGonagall wants us out by 8."

"Damn, that early?"

"Yeah, so you better get up because I'm not going into your room to wake you up."

"I bet you would want to Granger."

"No way in hell!"

"You know you want to mudblood." He smirked.

"Why do you always have to be a pervert? I mean, we get along fine, and then you have to say all these disgusting, irritating, infuriating, vile, terrible―"

"All right, all right, just stop being a dictionary!" He held his hands up defensively. For a moment, he even considered saying sorry. But reconsidered and walked to his room to take a shower. He closed his door and pulled off his shirt. He went into his bathroom and showered. Then he sloped into bed.

Draco didn't wake by an alarm. Just as Granger expected, she was the one waking him up. He opened his eyes to some knocking and then saw her open the door and invite herself in. "―I know you didn't want me waking you up, but here I am waking you up! If you won't wake up my knocks then I guess I'll just have to…oh! You're awake," she started blushing, "I'm sorry, I guess I'll just go now."

She walked backwards and Draco didn't want her to leave but he came back to his senses. He changed and saw Granger waiting for him in the common room. "Come on, we have to go."

He walked alongside her fast stride and mumbled, "Thanks."

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you have to come into my room?"

"Well, your mumbling sentence didn't sound this long."

"Well, answer my question."

"I told you that I would wake you up and since I didn't hear any reaction from you from my knocking, I had to go into your room."

"You wanted to."

"If I had, then I wouldn't have knocked first, would I?"

Granger had caught him. She smiled in triumph and Draco looked around uneasily. They walked to the pitch where they found everything they needed waiting for them to be set up. Draco looked around and started setting up the tables where the food was going to sit. Granger set up the photography area. Everything was dazzling. Draco wiped some sweat off his forehead. "This was a nice workout."

Hermione looked over at Malfoy. "Yeah, I guess it was. Anyway, we have some time left. Do you want to just go to our room and sit there?"

There was something in Malfoy's eyes that she just couldn't trust at that moment. She was thrust up by two strong hands which belonged Malfoy. _What in bloody hell is he doing? I'm being carried like I was a sleeping child in a parent's arms. Malfoy is definitely not my parent. _"Malfoy, what the hell are you doing? Let me down!"

Draco smiled, the more the she kicked and screamed, the more he was happy. It was a weird urge of his to pick her up. He even had the feeling that he wanted to put her down and kiss her. He resisted that urge. He carried her all the way to the lake and threw her in. _What the hell am I doing? Why did I just pick her up? Why was any of that necessary? _He saw Granger emerge from the water and she pulled herself up. "What the hell was that?"

"I-I don't know."

"Right, it's about time you get a taste of your own medicine."

"Wait, no!"

It was too late for words. She already pushed him in the water. The water was icy and he came up gasping for air. He saw Granger laughing at him and stealthily, he pulled her down into the water with him. He started laughing and Granger glared at him. "Oh, so you want to play dirty, do you?"

"Granger, you know nothing of playing dirty."

"Oh, I don't?"

Draco smirked. "You're too easy to fool Granger."

"Am I?" she said also smirking.

"Yes you are." Draco pushed her head under the water and went down underneath her.

Hermione came up over the water and she didn't see Malfoy anywhere. She felt a sudden tug underneath her and she was pulled down. She drank a lot of the water and she tried to swim up. She was being dragged down by Malfoy, but he didn't seem to be stopping. She opened her eyes and saw a grindylow. She fumbled around to break its fingers, as Lupin told them to in their third year. Out of panic, she couldn't break it. Her lungs were soon running out of breath as she didn't get a good mouthful of air before plunging into the water. She started feeling light-headed and dizzy. Through the haze, she saw Malfoy and felt his hands wrap around her and pull her up. Then everything went black.

Hermione opened her eyes and saw Malfoy leaning over her. He got up and walked away from her. She jumped up and chased after him. "What the hell was that Malfoy? You almost got me killed!"

"I didn't do anything to get you killed. You were the one that didn't swim up after I pulled you under."

His voice was dangerously calm. He didn't even look back at her when he spoke, but Hermione persisted. "Well, why'd you have to pull me under?"

"I was just proving my point all right?"

"You didn't have to prove your point."

"As I said, Malfoys don't go down without a fight."

"That was no fight, Malfoy."

"Well you stop being such a know-it-all!" He finally stopped and turned around to look at her, his wet hair falling over his face. "All I know is that right now, you should be thanking me, because if I hadn't gone back down there and broke the grindylow's fingers, you would be dead right now. I could've just left you and it would've looked like an accident. But I didn't so stop yelling at me!"

He turned around swiftly, leaving water on the ground, and stormed into their dormitory. Hermione was stunned. She's never seen anyone so angry in her life. Sure, Malfoy was angry when he hit Ron, but he wasn't angry compared to this tantrum. She walked into their shared room and heard his shower on. She decided to do the same. She felt terrible for yelling at him and trying to blame everything on him.

Draco was not really taking a shower. He was letting the hot water run over his back. _I just saved that girl's life and she's angry with me. Is it that hard to please her? If I had run back to our dormitory to wait for her there, she would've been dead. I had to jump in and save her. Then, the reward I get is her yelling at me, blaming me. Maybe I should've just let her drown, and then all my problems would be over. I would never do something like that though. _He heard knocking and didn't say anything. He left the shower on and dried himself off. Then put on some clothes. He didn't want to change into his clothes for the ball yet. He leaned against the door quietly and heard her knocking. "Malfoy, I know you can hear me! Just answer me please! Malfoy!"

He still didn't say anything. Draco waited and then heard her say, "Fine, it's better talking through a door to get to you. I'm sorry for yelling at you. You're right; I would've died if you hadn't pulled me out of the water. It's my fault that I tried to prove you wrong. I feel really bad for yelling at you and I really am sorry. I also wanted to say…thanks."

He opened the door and she looked up into his eyes. She looked so innocent to Draco and he just felt so protective of her, he hugged her.

Hermione felt herself being thrust against his chest. She smiled softly and put her arms slowly around his waist. Then, just as soon as she was about to close her eyes, she felt him push off her. She looked at him awkwardly and then realized that she had hugged him. She took a step back and he looked at her and said with the same stunned face, "Um, I'll see you at the ball then."

He shut the door a little too quickly and Hermione walked back to her room just as a fast. She needed to get ready for the ball, as Draco needed to.

**_Author's Note: Did you guys like the little water play in there? That wasn't going to go in, but I felt that this chapter needed a little more substance. Hope you enjoyed it! Also, if you haven't noticed, I've forgotten about our little friend Blaise. He hasn't been in a few chapters…so I put him in the next. Ball is next chapter, what fun will unravel then?_**


	7. Chapter 7: The Ball

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me, blah blah blah, it belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

It was a clear night sky with stars all over. Draco turned his head away from the window and sat himself down in a chair. He was waiting for Granger since they had to leave together and enter together. His lip curled in disgust. He would have to go with the mudblood. "Granger, are you ready yet?"

"Almost, just a second you ferret. Can't you be patient?"

He crossed his arms and finally, she came out. He did not notice this but his mouth opened slightly and his eyes couldn't keep off of her. _What the hell? What happened to the mudblood? _She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

Draco snapped his head away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go and get this over with."

She followed him and then walked beside him. They walked in silence and Granger looked over at him and opened her mouth, then closed it. Draco didn't react to that at all. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and he was walking at a fast pace. "Malfoy, why are you walking so fast?"

"This is how I always walk, Granger."

"No, you used to walk slower than that."

"Why are you studying how fast I walk?"

"Just walk slower, these heels are killing me."

Draco thought about slowing down, but decided to play with her a little bit. He sped up and then stopped causing her to crash into him. "Ugh, Malfoy, stop it."

"As you wish."

He walked considerably slower. "Stop being a prat!"

Draco smirked. This was the reaction he wanted. He started walking at his normal pace and Granger smiled. He was just being the annoying prat he always was to her.

Hermione didn't speak at all to him, even when they reached the Quidditch pitch. Professor McGonagall looked over at them and said, "Oh good, you two need to set up the food table. I haven't had time getting around to it."

They nodded and started putting the napkins and plates in place. Then, they stacked the cups and put the food on the table. Malfoy's hand touched Hermione's for a moment, but it left as swiftly as it came. Even as it wasn't done intentionally, Hermione felt a warm rushing feeling. She knew she wasn't supposed to feel it, but it was comforting to her all the same. Soon enough, people started filing in. She saw Ginny enter with a Ravenclaw. "Who's he Ginny?"

"Hermione, this is Aaron."

He nodded his head and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Aaron."

He extended his arm for Ginny. She laughed and took it. "I'll see you around Hermione."

She saw Harry and Ron and waved excitedly to them. They smiled at her and Ron started making his way to her. She started walking towards Ron as well, but Malfoy grabbed her wrist. "McGonagall wants us. Come on, you can talk to Weasel King later."

She looked over at Ron's surprised face. Hermione mouthed _I'll be there in a second._ She followed Malfoy to where Professor McGonagall stood. "All right, hurry up on stage and greet them."

Hermione walked up the steps and Malfoy followed suit. She noticed that he had his hands out of his pockets. _Finally, his hands are out and not stuffed in his pockets, _she thought. She looked at Malfoy to see if he wanted to start. He shook his head and she had no choice but to go up to the front of the stage. _Sonorus, _she whispered and she pointed her wand to her throat. "Well, um, welcome to our Halloween Ball at Hogwarts everyone!"

She looked around surprised at her own voice which was so loud, although it didn't echo. Everyone stared at her. There was no reaction from them. She was nervous. Hermione was never the public speaker. Malfoy noticed and walked up beside her. He took on from there, and she whispered, _Quietus_.

Draco pointed his wand and his throat and murmured the charm on himself. "So, you can be informed, the food is over there, as I see someone has already found." Draco smirked, he saw Weasel-bee holding a caramel apple. "We have an addition to our ball, a photography stand. You and your partner may take a picture here and we will send them to you. It costs 5 sickles. You pay when you take your photograph. All-in-all, we―" meaning Granger and him, "―hope you have a great time at this ball. _Quietus_."

Granger looked at him as if she could kiss Draco as they walked down the steps. "Thank you so much," she said breathlessly.

"No problem," he said smiling softly, "I could tell you were getting nervous up there. Not much of a public speaker, are you?"

"No."

"I could tell. Your stance was very stiff and your voice, unusually high."

She laughed. "Thanks so much. You saved me back there, again."

This time they both laughed. Draco saw Ron emerge. "Mione, are you there?"

"Yes, Ron," she turned to Draco. "Thanks again. I guess I'll see you around the dance then."

"Yeah, see you."

Draco turned and left. He looked and saw people actually taking pictures. _Granger didn't have a bad idea after all._ He smiled. Then he felt an enormous amount of pressure on his head and his back. He was pressed onto the ground by no other than Pansy Parkinson. "Drakie, this ball is absolutely beautiful! I bet you had to do all the work and that stupid good-for-nothing Granger slacked off."

"Pansy, you know as well as I do that I'm most likely to slack off while Granger works."

"Awww, you're so modest."

"No, he's an arrogant prick Pansy."

Draco looked up and saw Blaise. _Oh, I don't need anymore irritable people right now._ "Says who?" Pansy retorted.

"Says the man himself, and the Golden Trio."

Draco sniggered. Blaise was helping him after all. "Pansy, I think Draco wants some pumpkin juice. You should get him some."

She hopped off him and ran to get some pumpkin juice. _What a gullible idiot. _"Hey, thanks Zabini. I owe you one."

"It was nothing. Pansy's easy to get rid of. I mean, she has the brain of a peanut. Besides, she'd do anything for you. Come on; let's go around in this crowd, that way Pansy can't find us."

They walked around, mingling with other people. "So, Draco, you did a nice job with this. It's really nice. I must admit, I was very impressed at the photography stand. That's something really unique. Maybe it'll even be a tradition."

"I didn't come up with it. Granger did."

"Oh, well, she's very smart."

"I thought it was a stupid idea but I didn't argue with her."

"_You_ didn't argue with her? Wow, what is the world coming to?"

Draco took a deep breath. He couldn't lose his temper with Blaise. First of all, it wasn't worth it. Second, he owed Blaise big time for getting Pansy away from him. "You know what, Draco, I think I might ask her to dance with me."

"Pansy?" he yelled in disbelief.

"No, not her! Granger, she's so hot. You have even got to admit, she looks really hot tonight."

"Sure."

"Glad you agree with me," he said just as sarcastically.

"Blaise, sorry to say, but after you sleep with them, you just break the girl's heart."

"I think Granger might be long-term."

"You're disgusting."

"I'll go look for her. Wish me luck!"

Draco watched the olive-skinned man jog away from him, pushing his way through the crowd. Draco walked the opposite direction and to his luck, he ran into Granger. "Oh, hey, Malfoy. Have you danced yet?"

"No, you?" he said scowling for a reason he didn't know.

She raised her eyebrow at his scowling face. "Yes, I have. With Ron quite a few times actually, and Harry once. You should find Pansy. I saw her a few minutes ago screaming 'Drakie'."

They laughed at the name and he stopped scowling. "No, I think I'll leave her screaming. That way, she'll lose her voice and she's too incompetent to ask Madame Pomfrey for help."

Draco didn't smile that time. He saw Ron emerge from the back of the laughing Granger. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"Nothing Weasel-bee, I just ran into, Granger. We were just having a friendly chat. Weren't we?"

His eyes were icy now. They were cold and it chilled Hermione. His eyes were warmer before. "Y-yes, Ron, it's nothing to worry about."

"Yes it is Hermione. You stuttered, which means that he's been being his ferrety self again."

"Ron, really, it's nothing to get worked up over. Nothing happened. We were just talking."

"You expect me to believe that this git didn't say anything to hurt you, Mione?"

"Yes I do, Ronald. Now stop it. All the teachers are here. We don't want to cause a scene in front of all of them."

Ron looked at Malfoy with disgust. "Do you want me to get you a drink Hermione?" he said, his voice forcibly calm.

"Oh, it's all―"

"A drink, Hermione?"

It was obvious he wanted to get as far away from Malfoy as possible. Hermione looked at Malfoy. He was calmer now and she looked back at Ron. "Sure, butterbeer will be fine."

Ron looked at Hermione and left. The tense moment ended. "So, um, right…"

Hermione was lost for words. She looked up at Malfoy and saw his eyes widen. Then she felt his hand grab her wrist once again. "Come on, Ron'll find you. He has a sense of where you are."

She obeyed and followed him. They went into an incredibly crowded area. "Why are we here, Malfoy?"

"So someone can't find me," he lied. Draco had seen Blaise but decided not to disclose that information to Granger because she asks questions. He didn't even know why he didn't want Blaise to see her. After all, he had done Draco a favor.

"Oh, Pansy I bet. Right?"

"Yeah," he said. _Whatever she says…_

"She's really annoying, isn't she?"

"Yeah, try sharing a common room with her. The past six years weren't exactly great with her. My father hopes that if I can, get married with that girl. If not, he'll arrange some other marriage with some girl whom I do not know."

"Pureblood marriages, right?"

"Yeah, it's tradition. My mum and my father were in an arranged marriage. They're lucky though because they hit it off."

"Then you basically aren't allowed to fall in love."

"Yeah, and if I do it has to be with a pureblood."

"That's no good."

Draco turned away. He didn't want to talk about that anymore. _Why did I even bring up the whole marriage situation? At least Granger just listened. No one ever listens. She was the only one. _He wanted to get away from her. He had given her some information that he had never told anyone with half a brain. He started walking rapidly away from her. He didn't care how many people he had to push through, he just had to get somewhere where she couldn't find him. He started jogging towards the bleachers. No one was there and Granger couldn't see through the crowd. She would probably even think that he would be hiding in the large crowd areas. _Why would she go looking for me anyway? That's right, I ran away from her. She's going to be suspicious._ He walked behind the bleacher where the teachers always sit. He took the stairs up to be situated right behind the seats. He looked over the whole field. Then, he looked at the sky. There were so many stars glittering. He rested against a wooden beam and closed his eyes. He fell asleep even if it was uncomfortable against the beam.

He woke up to see Granger tapping him. "The ball is almost over. I suggest you come down now."

"Wha-, how'd you find me here?"

"Easy, I knew that you weren't in the crowd, so where would you go? Somewhere Pansy would never find you, or anyone for that matter." She smiled. "I knew you liked the night sky, this is the perfect view."

"Damn, you're too smart."

She smiled again. "Come on, Malfoy."

Draco suddenly felt as if he was hit on the side of the head with a gun. He only noticed Granger's beauty at that moment. He didn't even recognize who she was. He drank too much butterbeer, and it was making him dizzy. "Hey, I haven't danced yet, what about you?"

"Yes, I have Malfoy. Now come on…"

"Will you dance with me?"

"What?"

"Please…"

He was starting to sound ridiculous. Draco thought that she was an angel coming to save him from his misery. "Well, I guess so."

He had his arm around her waist and he was so dizzy that he was slopping all over. "Maybe we should go, Malfoy."

"Uh-huh…"

He felt his arm wrap around her shoulder. They walked down several steps and they fell over. "Come on, Malfoy. I think the ball's going to end soon."

Draco felt himself propped up against the girl again. Then, he fell back into his deep sleep.

**_Author's Note: This chapter didn't have much substance, but it's showing how Draco and Hermione are getting closer to one another. They're actually laughing together now. gaspAlso, Draco revealed something private to Hermione. Okay, next chapter, Draco gets a little moody. Thank you to princess-kristi for reviewing!_**


	8. Chapter 8: Moody Draco

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling…why do I even bother writing these anymore…I'll just write I don't own harry potter next time**

Hermione sat on a chair scribbling her thoughts into her diary. Last night was different. She hadn't expected the ball to go that way. _Diary, Ron and I didn't spend as much time as I thought we would. I was with Malfoy for some time actually. Ron seemed pretty flustered about that, but what could I do? I had head duties. We danced though, so I hope he isn't too angry and I hope― really hope, that Ron had a good time. Harry seemed to enjoy himself. Cho came back for the dance. Even though he's over Cho, he still seems to have something for her (he danced with her, oh they're so cute!) Ron and Malfoy seemed to want to kill each other. Come to think of it, Malfoy was acting oddly too. I shouldn't pay much attention to it; he did help me during the welcome speech. Then, I needed to go look for him since we were going to conclude the ball. I found him sleeping against a beam. He didn't seem like a devil sleeping. He was so peaceful and so, what else can I say, beautiful. He woke up as his normal self, but then, he got all drowsy and such. Malfoy even asked me to dance! I was more than surprised, Diary. Then we tumbled down the steps. McGonagall noticed him hanging all over me and came to help (thank goodness). Everyone turned to stare at the fuss and Pansy naturally screamed. She advanced on me and started yelling and such, but Professor McGonagall took care of her. It was peculiar. I took him back to our common room and set him down on the couch. I couldn't sleep, so I'm sitting here. He hasn't woken yet. Oh, wait, I think he's stirring. Write later…_

Hermione set her diary aside and looked at him. He rubbed his eyes and stretched out his arms. "Have a nice night, Malfoy?"

"Wha? Granger, why are you in my room?"

"Look around you, genius."

She saw him look at where he was sleeping and back at her. "What the…? What happened last night?"

"Let's see. You went to the bleachers, fell asleep, I came and woke you up. You became all drowsy and then slopped all over the place. I took you back here, and that's that."

"Oh, right…did anyone see you carrying me?"

"Yes, why?"

"Shit Granger, why'd you have to show everyone that I was drunk?"

"What?"

"Get away from me."

"What are you talking about Malfoy? You were not drunk."

"I said, GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Hermione stood up immediately and walked away. _What the hell is wrong with that asshole? I was just telling him what happened. I could've just left him out there and then he would've been given detention. What do I care about him anyway?_

_Because you do care about him._

_No I don't, I shouldn't have gone looking for him. I could've just had more fun spending my time with Ron and Harry. I mean, what's Malfoy to me anyway? Maybe I wanted to make it even with him…_

_He already said you didn't need to pay him back for that._

_No he didn't._

_He laughed with you. He didn't need a favor in return. He also shared with you something he's never told anyone, that's a large amount of trust._

Hermione didn't want to talk to her subconscious anymore. She turned the tab for the bath for a long refreshing soak.

Draco sat on the couch sulking. _Damn you Granger. Now everyone will think I'm your stinking friend. Damn you to hell. _He walked out and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Blaise greeted him with a wicked smile. _Damn, here's Zabini, assuming the worst. _"So, where'd you disappear to last night?"

"I went to get away from everyone."

"And you let Granger follow you?"

"No, who told you that crap?"

"No one, well, everyone assumes that you pulled Granger along. Even her best friends, look at them."

Draco turned his heads to see Weasley distressed looking. "So, even if I pulled her along, what's the big deal, damn it?"

"Well, the rumor is that you and Granger, well―"

"Who told you that shit?"

"Well, did you kiss her? I'm completely okay with it, but I thought you said you hated her."

"I do hate that mudblood. Now, even more than ever. Zabini, get the hell away from me."

"What's wrong with you Draco? You're extra-snappy today."

"Get away from me!"

Blaise backed away from him and left the table. Draco felt like breaking everything within a ten foot radius. He glared at Blaise's back and turned to eat his food. "Oh, Drakie! You're okay!"

"Stupid, bitch, get off me."

"Are you okay? What did the stupid mudblood do to you? All we saw was her carrying your limp body back. I was so nervous. What could that stupid mudblood do to my Drakie."

Draco was stunned for a moment. Granger carried him back? _What the hell is wrong with this world?_ "Get away from me, Pansy, now!"

Pansy staggered back. She didn't cry or anything. Her face was pale and she left Draco sitting alone. He ate his biscuit furiously. Everyone thought Granger and he did something or Granger hexed him. No one knew what happened. He probably didn't even know what happened since Granger's story was short. What if something did happen? He remembered her diary on the table in the common room. He ran down the hall. He didn't care if he was caught. He wanted to know what happened. He heard her taking a shower and he opened the book. He skipped to the last entry and read it, skipping the Ron and Harry parts. Then he found the part with him and Granger. _What the hell? I danced with her? I danced with the mudblood? Aw shit…_ He was even angrier. He reread the sentence and then heard, "Malfoy, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What?"

"You're friggen reading my diary! That's private! Give it back!"

"Why didn't you tell me that I asked you to dance?"

"What else did you read in there?" her face horrified at the thought of what he read.

"Answer my question!"

"Answer mine first! It's my privacy you're invading!"

Draco took the book and tossed it hard towards her face. The cover cut her cheek when it hit. She staggered back a few steps. She stood there looking down, breathing heavily. Draco stood and looked at her stupid self, also breathing heavily from his anger. She finally spoke, her voice quiet and shaking at first. "You-are…SUCH A BASTARD!"

Hermione retrieved her book and ran into her room and then muttered a locking charm on her door. Tears were running steadily down her face from frustration. _Come on Hermione, you're stronger than this. What did he read though? Why did I forget my diary outside on the table? Why did he even think of invading my private space?_ She hit her pillow and then cried into it. _I hate him. I hate him so much._

Draco stood outside and heard her crying. He didn't feel the least bit sorry. Not that he would, but ever since they started living in the same dorm, he has felt a little bit sorry whenever he upset her. _Serves that mudblood right, not telling me anything. _He had other thoughts on his mind. She had called him beautiful in her diary entry. He shook his head. It was probably just a weird scribble on the page. He walked over to his book bag trying to push his guilty thoughts to the back of his mind. Draco took out a book and became absorbed in it. After a short while, a knock sounded at the door. He set his things down and strutted to the door. He opened the door and to his greatest surprise, someone lunged at him. "Hermione!" the voice said.

_What the…? _Draco saw the weasel king's flaming red hair coming at him. He ducked out of his way and asked, "What the hell do you think you're doing here, Weasley?"

"Malfoy? I thought you never did anything yourself. I thought you were the pureblood Malfoys."

Draco smirked. "Well, I see your dirty-blooded friend is rubbing off on me."

"Why you little…"

"What? Are you trying to insult me _again_? Don't hurt yourself, please. You'll only look like a fool in front of your dearest love."

"You're sick. I would never fall in love with you! I am not like that!"

Draco was laughing inside. Weasley was so fun to toy with, mostly when he misunderstood everything because of his puny little brain capacity. "_Please_…don't even give me that. I know you like guys. You just have to admit it. I see you staring at Potter all the time. And, what's up with you defending him? Are you afraid that your boyfriend will be hurt?"

"Oh, why don't you just shut up you bastard?"

"Oh, why don't you just stop being stupid?"

He saw Weasley open and then close his mouth again. "Where's Hermione?"

Draco stopped smiling. "She's in her room."

Weasley walked over and knocked on her door. "Hermione, let's go. Harry's outside waiting. We need to go to our next class."

He seemed to wait for Draco to make a remark, but Draco did no such thing. Instead, Draco walked to Weasley's side. "Granger, get out of there."

"Shut up Malfoy."

"Come on, Granger, Weasley's out here waiting for you. It's not polite to keep someone waiting."

"Like you know what's polite. Stop trying to act so nice!" Granger retorted.

"I'm not acting. Now get out here."

"Malfoy, she won't come out here if you're being so―"

"Shut up, Weasley. If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to help you and you should appreciate those that help you."

He turned to the door and tried the knob. It was locked as he knew. He whispered, _Alohamora_ and the door opened. She was sitting on her bed wiping off her tears as quickly as she could. "Get out, Malfoy!"

She tossed a pillow at him which he easily deflected. "You can come out now. I've even opened the door for you."

He saw her fold her arms across her chest. Weasley looked in through the door and said, "I'm gonna go with Harry now, okay? We'll meet up later."

He walked out giving Draco a glare. Making sure Weasley left, he walked into her room and said, "I'm giving you one last chance: Get up or I'm forcing you out."

She sat on her bed stubbornly. _I'm going to regret doing this_. He walked to her and swiftly picked her up off the bed. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Malfoy? Let me go!"

He said nothing and picked up her bag and his and walked out the door. He set her down, finally listening to her protests. He handed Hermione her bag and she just glared at him. Draco took a deep breath and said very quietly, almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry."

He walked off leaving her dumbfounded.

_**Author's Note: Awww, he has a soft spot…and a very moody self. Well, that's what hormones do. Until next time…**_


	9. Chapter 9: Something for the Heads to do

**Disclaimer: Do I always have to put one of these? Ditto what I said on the previous chapter.**

Hermione was still standing rooted in the spot where Malfoy had left her. _What did he just say?_ She couldn't believe that he actually had the heart to apologize. She didn't even know that he knew the two words, "I'm sorry". The bell rung and she realized that class had already started. She picked up her things hurriedly and sprinted out the door to her class. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about Malfoy. She remembered his face and how he just softly said that he was sorry. She smiled a bit, and swung open the door to Transfiguration. "Sorry, Professor, I'm late."

McGonagall looked at Hermione and said sternly, "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're late. Why are you late?"

Hermione bit her lip softly. "I was…held up."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Are you lying Miss Granger?"

Hermione burst out, "No! I mean, no, I'm not."

"And who exactly were you held up by?"

She looked around the classroom and spotted Draco Malfoy looking at her. "Peeves," was all she managed to say.

"Sit down please."

Hermione took her seat by Harry and Ron and she felt a crumpled piece of paper hit her head. She un-crumpled it and saw it was from Ron. "Why were you late? Was it because of Malfoy?"

She scribbled back, "More or less."

"What do you mean by 'more or less'?"

"It was partly my fault and partly his."

"Why'd you lie to McGonagall?"

She crossed out everything in the note afraid that if McGonagall were to find it, she would have lied twice and threw the note in her bag. She turned to Ron and mouthed, "Later."

Draco watched Granger and her note passing with Weasley. Unexpectedly, he heard the door open and his name called. He turned around and saw Dumbledore standing there. _Ugh, what does he want now? _He saw Granger walk towards the door and Draco gathered his things and followed suit. Dumbledore closed the door behind them and told them to follow. "I will explain why I took you out of class on the way to my office. You see, I'd like you to go find someone for me. This person is a muggle. I'd like you to go undercover, find him, and bring him back to me. He's a very…paranoid person. So I suggest you be careful and _only_ use magic when it's most needed."

They finally reached his office and entered. Dumbledore continued with his explanations. "Here's a picture of him," he said brandishing his wand, "and here's a book which we can talk through to each other, or more of write to each other. I will give you any hints through this book so check it daily."

Draco's mouth gaped. "Daily? This is supposed to take us more than one day?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes it is. He's _very _hard to find as you can imagine. You will be living in hotels with each other. It's much like your rooms now, except in the muggle world, as Miss Granger knows, they're called suites."

Draco was dumbfounded. "I have to live with her?"

Dumbledore smiled again. "Yes, you do, Mr. Malfoy. I thought you might be used to it by now. Go to your rooms and pack some clothes and wands and whatever else you may need. Then, report back here and I'll give you the things you'll need for this trip."

They turned their backs on him and walked down the corridor. Draco's mind was racing. _Oh shit. This is just perfect. Blaise is going to have a party with this. Being stuck with Granger was a nightmare, but this is like a nightmare gone wrong. I can't believe that old man is making me go through with this. Is he finally losing his mind? Becoming delirious? _He walked into his room and picked up his two pairs of muggle clothing and stuffed it into a bag along with his other necessities.

Hermione pulled her diary off her desk and her pens. She couldn't use a quill in the muggle world. She was glad she packed three pairs of muggle clothing and even happier because she could finally go shop for more. Then the daunting idea of shopping with Malfoy came up. She shook her head. She changed into jeans and a button up oxford shirt and rolled the sleeves to about ¾ of her arms. _That looks nice._ She took her school bag (emptying out everything in it first and then putting in her diary, wallet, and other things that are in a purse) along with a luggage bag. She saw Malfoy standing with his school bag strapped across his chess and a luggage bag. "Let's go," he said.

Hermione couldn't help but notice how nice Malfoy looked. His hair was no longer slicked back like previous years. He wore black slacks with a dark blue oxford shirt and regular muggle shoes. _How could ferret possibly know how to dress fashionably? I thought he hated muggles. _She saw his eyes look at her and she quickly turned her face away to admire…the wall. Malfoy stopped walking so she stopped. "Why are you stopping?"

"Why were you staring at me, Granger?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Wha-what? I wasn't staring at you. Why would I even look at you?"

Malfoy smirked. "So, if you weren't staring at me, why do you seem so guilty?"

"How do I seem guilty? I wouldn't be guilty anyway."

Malfoy's look became even smugger. "You're blushing."

Hermione turned away and walked faster. She heard his footsteps chasing her. "What's the matter with you?" he asked her, "You're the one staring. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I was NOT staring you git! If you're so keen on people staring, what the hell was up with you staring at me?"

"What the…? And when have I been staring at you? Why would I even look at you?"

"When I was late to class, you were staring."

"I bet that was just a hallucination. Just keep telling yourself that and you'll feel better about yourself."

Hermione took him by the collar violently and then let him down. _Why the hell do I keep getting physical with him? He's not even worth my time._

_Yes he is, you keep talking to him and fighting with him. He is worth your time._

_Ugh._

She stepped into Dumbledore's office by herself and then saw Malfoy enter after her. Dumbledore handed them the book and the numbers for their hotel rooms. "Good luck," was all Dumbledore said as he instructed them to take hold of the portkey teapot.

They spun and found themselves in London. Hermione opened the book to see the first instruction: Go to Tom the barman and get a map from him. Miss Granger, I assume that you already know your way around, but this map is just as a reinforcement. He also has things for you called cell phones in case you get separated. Miss Granger also probably knows how to operate those things. Today, you will just need to shop for muggle clothing. Tom will have money for you as well. Hermione closed the book and turned to her companion. "Well, we might as well get going."

Draco tucked his hands into his pockets. "Yeah."

They went to see Tom and he gave them everything that they needed. Granger taught Draco how to use the cell phone and they went shopping. There were multiple stores stacked very high up. _So this is a mall_, he thought. He looked over at Granger and saw her face beaming. She obviously loved shopping. "Come on Malfoy, let's go!"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him along. She probably didn't notice, but his hands were firmly tucked in his pockets so her arm gradually interlocked with his. She was smiling and pulling him into shops that she bought clothes in. She didn't model them for him, obviously, but he had a feeling that everyone thought they were a couple. He smiled a bit and then smirked. _Haha, Granger, you don't even realize what you're doing. _They paid for the clothes and the cashier lady kept smiling at them both. Draco raised his eyebrows and the smiling stopped. She handed Granger her clothes and they moved on. "Oh, here's a store for you, Malfoy!"

He was tugged in and pulled around by Granger. "Umm, here try these on."

She shoved outfits into his hands with jeans and no T-shirts whatsoever, just oxford shirts and polos. He strolled into the dressing rooms and walked it for Granger to inspect. _I feel like an idiot. Why the hell is she making me model for her? _"Try that shirt with these pants here," he heard her say. He came out again. "That's good. Here, give them to me."

He was finally done and they bought the clothes and left. Finally, the day was over and they bought some dinner from a shop and went to their hotel. They stood in the elevator taking them up to the floor where the suites were. He heard Granger say, "You know Malfoy, today was the only day we were somewhat civil to each other."

He thought about it. "Yeah, except for the staring fight."

"Haha, yeah, except for that."

They looked at each other and started laughing. The elevator doors opened and they went into the suite where they found that their headmaster had lied. There was a common room, a bathroom that they had to share, which was no problem, but there was only one room that they had to share. They had to sleep in the same room.

_**Author's Note: This was soooo not a Harry Potter-esque style. I didn't write in Harry Potter style for such a long time, I've been working on something else, but I hope this chapter's okay and this "part" will take an estimate of seven chapters. More if I get into it…**_


	10. Chapter 10: Hotel Suites

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters…they belong to J.K. Rowling…lalala**

"What the bloody hell was that old codger thinking!? He told us we'd have friggen' separate rooms! WHAT THE HELL!?" Draco sat down on a seat roughly and looked over at Granger, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to contact Dumbledore. It's no use getting angry about. Getting angry won't solve our problems."

"Hey, you know what? We can apparate!"

"No dumbass, remember? No one can apparate in or out of Hogwarts unless the charm that Dumbledore put on the castle is lifted."

"Then, how about that fire thing?"

"Do you know the spell for that?"

"Actually, I do."

"Really, why don't you try it, Mr. Know-it-all?"

He walked over to the fireplace and stuck his head in the hearth. Then muttered a spell and his head was engulfed. She heard him talking and yelling and Malfoy returned to the room. "Well?" Hermione asked.

"He says that we can either share the room or someone can sleep on the chair in the common room."

"What!? Dumbledore said that!? Can't he teach us a spell to conjure up another bed or something?"

"Exactly. I told him that and he said that it would take the whole night for us, even you to learn how to conjure up a comfortable bed."

"Urgh! What are we going to do?"

"Well, we've already established the fact that we aren't going to share a room."

"Of course! The only this is, who's going to sleep outside?"

"You, mudblood, no questions asked."

"What!? Why me? You're a guy! Aren't guys supposed to be tougher?"

"Well, I'm a guy of high power. You're just low on the food chain. Therefore, you should sleep where servants sleep."

"You make me sick!"

"Well, unless you want to be stuck in the same room, then you should sleep outside!"

"Maybe you should be the one who sleeps outside!"

"Maybe you want to share a room with me!"

"Why the hell would I!? Maybe you're the one hoping that I would be willing to share a room with you!?"

"And I would do that because I want to be contaminated by you. Hell no!"

"You're such an asshole, Malfoy."

Malfoy didn't say anything. The room was silent, only the reverberating sounds of their fight were heard. Hermione turned her back to him. She was embarrassed because his face was stone-cold, as if she had hurt him verbally. _I've always called him an asshole. Why the hell is he so offended?_

_Maybe because he's actually showing some human emotion?_

_No, Malfoy has no emotions._

_He did say sorry to you._

_That doesn't mean he has emotions. Why didn't he ever repent for hurting me years ago. He was emotionless and cruel._

_People change._

_He can never change._

_Are you sure about that? He's told you many secrets about his family. He's even slipped you some hints about how he hated his father. He doesn't like Pansy. He doesn't even care if he marries a pureblood or not._

_If he doesn't care, why does he still call me a mudblood?_

_It's like a nickname for you. You've heard it so many times it's now meaningless and it doesn't hurt you like the first time you've heard it._

Hermione crossed her arms and turned back to face Malfoy. He was still in the state she had left him. "Uh, Malfoy, what are we going to do then."

His eyes came back to look at her and he said, "I guess I'll go sleep outside."

Hermione's heart sunk. She felt terrible for some weird reason. Normally, she wouldn't feel bad. She would feel that it served him right to not be able to sleep in a bed, but she felt horrible. She felt like she was the evil Draco Malfoy. "No, I'll sleep outside, that's alright. I mean, I'm used to it and you don't know how a couch feels like."

Malfoy smirked. "Are you saying I can't take it?"

"No, I'm not. What I'm saying is that I'll just sleep outside to make everyone's life easier."

"So, you sleep on a couch at home?"

"No! Of course not. Why is this even relevant?"

"Then how do you know how a couch feels?"

"I've slept on them when we were moving to a different house. The beds weren't set up yet and we had to sleep on our couches."

Malfoy smiled. "Okay, it's settled then. Servant sleeps on the couch, and the noble sleeps on the bed."

Hermione didn't feel as bad anymore. "Must you have a superiority complex!?"

"Yes."

Hermione went and pulled the blankets off one of the beds and took it into the lounge. She set it up so it would be somewhat comfortable and went to the bathroom. She settled herself nicely outside and fell asleep almost instantly. As she slept, she heard footsteps pacing and she opened her eyes. Malfoy was pacing in her "room". "Malfoy! Go to sleep! And get out of my room!"

He turned his head just a little and smirked. "You call _this _a room?"

"Well, didn't we already establish the fact that this is a room? Why are you still awake anyway?"

"Can't sleep."

"Then, shouldn't I be in your room in bed because I am sleeping? Insomniacs like you should be on this couch."

"Oh, _really_? So, _you_ are supposed to be in _my_ room, and _I'm _supposed to be in yours," he said sarcastically.

"Well, yeah, if you're not going to use the bed, I might as well sleep in it."

"Oh, okay. So, I guess I'll be going to sleep now," he said as he faked a yawn.

"Good night," Hermione said lividly.

Malfoy sauntered over to her couch and sat in it. He took off his shoes and pulled the covers over him with Hermione still lying there next to him. He huddled close to her since it was a couch and it was already small enough with one person on it. Hermione blushed unexpectedly and said, "Malfoy, if you're going to sleep here, why don't you let me go to your room first?"

He faked a snore and Hermione rolled her eyes. _Oh Merlin, this is so uncomfortable. _She felt an arm that did not belong to her wrap around her waist and felt the body next to her move in closer, even though it was seemingly impossible. He was just being an annoying prat. She tried to move her arms to push him away, but they were trapped between her body and his chest. _Is he awake anymore? _She had no idea if he was awake or not and the idea that he fell asleep hugging her frightened her. She suddenly felt warm inside and didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore. His head fell upon her shoulder and her eyes grew tired. She finally fell asleep not aware that Malfoy was still in her arms.

Draco opened his eyes to sunlight coming through the curtains. It was blinding at first, but then, his vision focused and saw that he was on the couch and his head was on the shoulder of someone else. _Oh shit, that Granger's shoulder! Damn it, when did I come over here? _He then noticed that his arms were wrapped around her waist and he pulled back quickly, fell over, and hit his head. "Argh! Granger, wake up!"

"What!?" she yelled sitting up straight, wide awake. "Why are you here?"

"That's what I was just about to ask you. Why did I wake up and see you next to me?"

She pulled her covers up over her chest and retorted, "Well, it wasn't my fault. You came in here talking to me and you couldn't sleep. Then you suddenly just plopped yourself onto this couch and slept. You wouldn't even let me go to your room first. I asked you, but then you were feigning sleep. I couldn't do anything about it because you smartly wrapped yourself around me and I couldn't move."

"You could've pushed yourself up, or are you too weak to do that?"

"You're heavier than me! And what part of 'wrapped tightly around me' do you not understand!?"

Draco had made her angry again. He stalked off to the bathroom to take a shower. He would need a lot of soap to remove the dirt from him. The hot water poured over his back like heaven. _Damn, I hope this mission takes longer than Dumbledore expects. If we get back in three days, then father will be at school. I'd rather be stuck with Granger than him._

Hermione cried into her covers. She didn't know why she was crying. She was so frustrated with Malfoy and his stupid ideas. She heard the bathroom door open and she quickly wiped her tears away. Hermione stood up, the covers falling off her, picked up her clothes, and walked towards the bathroom with her head hung so Malfoy could not see her face. She noticed the door was closed, but opened it, still with her head down in case Malfoy had the right angle to see that she had been crying. She closed the door and locked it. Her eyes went to look at the opposing wall instead of the floor which had towels strewn all over. She didn't see a wall. She saw Malfoy standing in front of her, half-naked looking down at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing in here Granger?"

"I assumed that you were finished since you opened the door. Besides, you weren't talking to me so you wouldn't tell me if you were done or not."

"Well, did you see me outside?"

"How was I supposed to know? I was walking with my head down."

"And why were you doing that?"

Draco saw Granger turn her face away blushing furiously. "I just was, is there a rule against walking with your head down?"

"Actually, there is. It's danger to everyone."

"There is no such rule. You're just making it up."

She looked back at him. Draco saw her blush again. _Someone's blushing a lot today. _"So, can you leave now, Granger?"

"Yeah."

She walked out the door and Draco turned to himself in the mirror. He pulled on a polo that they had bought the previous day. _She was crying_, he thought to himself, _What the hell am I doing to her? Making her cry like that…wait, I can't feel sorry for her. She's supposed to cry. I'm just fulfilling my role as a Malfoy. _He walked out of the bathroom and dumped his clothes on his bags. "Granger, you can use it."

There was no movement from the other room. "Granger, you can use it!"

There was still no noise. Draco walked over to the couch and saw her asleep. She was sitting there, tears dribbling down her face, but she was sleeping. He felt a lurch in his stomach. He took out a handkerchief, walked over in front of her, and wiped away her tears. Her eyes immediately opened and Draco quickly pulled his hand away. He averted his eyes and she felt his eyes staring at him. "Why'd you do that Malfoy?"

"What?"

"Stop playing dumb. Why'd you wipe away my tears?"

"No one deserves to cry in a dream."

He felt his face grow hot. He looked into her eyes which were staring back at him incredulously. She gave a small smile though, and then said, "Thank you."

She picked up her belongings and walked through the door to the bathroom. His face burned even more. _Damn, why the hell did I wipe her face?_

Hermione felt the hot water run over her back and was relaxed by it. _That Malfoy, he's really a nice guy_. She wasn't angry anymore, nor was she frustrated. She was calm, and actually somewhat content to be in the situation she was in­­― which was being stuck with Malfoy.

She dried herself off and changed. She walked out the door and saw Malfoy fussing with the TV. "What're you doing?"

"How does this thing work?"

She laughed. She walked over to him and showed him how to use the remote. After thirty minutes, Malfoy finally understood _what _a TV was. Hermione picked up the book and sat down in front of the couch which Malfoy was laying on. Under the first instruction, she saw another appear in the same loopy handwriting: Don't forget your cell phones. I have gotten hints that the muggle works a minimum wage job at a convenience store. Why don't you guys go check the convenience stores and look for a man that looks something like this? A picture appeared and he was a middle-aged guy who had a round stomach and a beard. His hair was graying and his eyes a bright pale blue, almost even white. Hermione tossed the book onto Malfoy's lap. "Look, that's the guy we need to find."

"Huh, he's not pleasing to look at."

"What do you need to look at him for?"

There was no response from Malfoy. "Let's go then."

Hermione picked up her bag and pulled on Malfoy's sleeve. "Hey, let's go."

"Egh…"

She looked at him. He was mesmerized by the TV. She started giggling. She couldn't help herself from it. Malfoy was actually absorbed with something made by a muggle. He turned his gaze from the TV to look at Hermione laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You…you like the TV!"

"So?"

She recollected herself and said, "Alright, we have to move on now. There are multiple convenience stores in London as you can imagine."

"Yeah, alright."

He got up reluctantly from his comfortable position and walked out the door. She stepped out after him and closed the door. "So, where are we off to first, Granger?"

"Well, we have to – wait, what do you mean 'we'?" Hermione said smiling.

Malfoy felt his cheeks flush. "I didn't – it was an assumption! I mean, you said 'we have to go to convenience stores'. I obviously assumed that 'we' were going together."

She smiled even more smugly. "Well, I think you were hoping that 'we' would go together."

He walked straight past her and never looked back. "Hey, Malfoy! Malfoy!" There was no response, but he walked faster. Hermione started running after him. _Why the hell is he so sensitive? I was just teasing. _Soon enough, they were running through the halls of the hotel. Hermione felt herself becoming tired and then felt a hand grab around her arm. She turned around and saw a security guard stopping her. "No running in the halls, miss."

"I'm terribly sorry, you see, it's just that I was just ―"

Her eyes searched for Malfoy and she found that he was gone. He had turned a corner and disappeared. "I'm sorry sir, I have to go."

She felt the man's hand release her arm and she walked to find Malfoy. Her mind was in a rush. _Where could that little ferret have gone? He doesn't know where the stores are or even how to use a cell phone yet. Damn it._ She started jogging through the halls and out the hotel to see the busy streets of London. _Where the hell do I start?_

_**Author's Note: Malfoy is really sensitive…geez. Haha, anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I guess it's going to be more that seven chapters because I don't know. I think this chapter was kind of a waste, but nonetheless interesting. Please comment! Thanks.**_


	11. Chapter 11: Danger, Danger?

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to JK Rowling. I'm just using them to create this story.**

Draco paced around the streets with his hands jammed into his pockets. He was angry at Granger for no good reason. _Why the hell was she pestering me? Damn, that bookworm is good-for-nothing. Geez, why was stuck with her for this damn assignment. Now, where the hell am I?_ He looked around at his surroundings. There was absolutely nothing that was familiar to him. _Oh well, I'll just ask around. It's easy enough_. He grabbed the person nearest to him which happened to be someone around his age. "Hey, you, where's the nearest convenience store?"

"Let go of me! I need to get to class."

"Tell me where it is, or do I have to beat you around a little?"

The guy smirked. "You beat me around? If you didn't know, scumbag, I'm the captain of Cambridge's rugby team. I think I would beat you around more than you would beat me around."

"Shut up and tell me where it is."

"What if I don't want to?"

Draco's temper rose again and he landed a punch on the guy's face. "That's what will happen."

People turned around too look at what was happening. _Oh shit, I attracted attention to myself_. He was about to take off when the guy grabbed his leg. "What the hell are you doing!? Let go of my leg!"

"Not until I break it!"

"Get off of me!"

The guy tripped Draco and pushed him to the ground. Draco's head hit the ground – hard – and he became dizzy. He got back up quickly, but the guy was ready to punch and hit Draco's nose, breaking it. He then heard a familiar voice yelling, "Stop it!" He looked over with his last bit of energy and saw Granger running, eyes filled with worry and concern. He turned back to look at the guy grasping his collar and saw him staring at Granger. _What the…?_ Then, everything went black.

Hermione ran as fast as she could towards Malfoy. _Oh Merlin, please let him be okay._

_Are you hoping for him to be okay?_

_Yes, I don't want the Ministry on my back._

_Hmmm…doesn't seem like it._

Hermione went to slap the guy holding him for beating Malfoy, but stopped the instant her eyes met his. She knew who he was – he was the captain of the rugby team at Cambridge, Robert Fisher. But why would he have anything to do with Malfoy? She couldn't say anything. "I'm sorry miss for beating your boyfriend. I didn't realize that he was dear to a woman."

"Oh, no, he's not my boyfriend. He's my…brother." _Shit, why the hell did I say that?_ "It's fine, well, no it isn't. But he's always getting in trouble here or there."

"Your brother? Well, you two certainly don't resemble each other."

"He took after my mother and I, my father so we look very different from each other."

"Oh, well, you have my apologies. If there're any medical fees that I need to pay, you can call me. I'll give you my phone number."

"Oh, wait a moment please," she said as she fumbled for her cell phone. "Okay, what's your phone number?"

He told her and she entered it in. "I'm assuming you already know my name, but I would like to know yours miss."

"Oh, how rude of me! I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you. My father's a big rugby fan seeing as he played when he was in the university himself."

"Your father went to Cambridge?"

"Well, yes. That was always his dream school."

"How come you didn't go there?"

"Well, I can't apply until next year since I'm still 17."

"Wow, you're so mature for your age though."

"That's what people generally say," she laughed a little at a loss for words and realized that Malfoy was still in Robert's hands. "Oh, I'll take my brother from you."

"He's probably too heavy for you. Would you like me to accompany you to the hospital?"

"Well," _I can't really let him since I need to work on Dumbledore's task and we can get to St. Mungo's here, but…_ "sure. That would be great. Thank you."

"It's the least I could do after beating on him."

They walked to the subway and Malfoy came to. "Oh, thank god you're okay, Draco," Hermione said putting emphasis on Draco.

_Oh shit, he's probably going to call me Granger._ "What the hell? Granger? Did you just…?"

She slapped her hand over his mouth and looked at his eyes making it clear that he should not call her Granger.

Draco was confused. _So, why can't I call her Granger? Damn, did that mudblood tell him that I'm her…well, boyfriend? Shit, I always knew that she was weird that way._ "Yeah, I'm fine. This guy here just slapped me around a bit. Why is he even here, Hermione."

Her face seemed to relax. _Okay, I guessed right_. "That's good. We're headed for a hospital right now. Anyway, his name is Robert, and he feels guilty for hitting you, so he helped me by carrying you over here."

"Oh, okay."

"Can't you at least tell him thank you?"

"I can't help but think you have feelings for this scumbag."

"Draco! Just tell him thank you and apologize for hitting him."

"No, really Hermione, it's okay. I need to get off at this stop anyway since he seems to be better. It's perfect timing since my school is right down here."

"I'm so sorry Robert. He's just being stupid."

Robert smiled at Draco and Granger. "All right, this is where I get off. Bye! Don't forget to call!"

"I won't," Granger said.

Draco felt as if he had to establish that they were in a relationship and closed his hand around hers. Granger turned around and looked at him in horror. "What? Didn't you tell the guy we were in a relationship?"

"No," she said as she pulled her hand away, "I told him you were my brother."

Draco flushed. _Oh SHIT. _He didn't know what to do next. She turned to look at him. Draco felt embarrassed for the first time in his life. "Well, I guess we won't have to go to a muggle hospital. We can take the next stop and head on to St. Mungo's."

"I'm fine. I don't need a hospital. What we need to concentrate on now is our assignment."

"What if your nose doesn't heal properly? I don't know much about healing spells so I can't help you there."

"Who ever asked for your help, Granger?"

"I just assumed that you would…"

"Don't assume things, Granger. You're only making yourself look dumb."

"Well, at least I don't assume that we're in a relationship."

"Shut up. Fine, we'll go to St. Mungo's."

They got off the subway and used the telephone booth to get into St. Mungo's. After his nose was healed, they left and stood on the street. Hermione was left to find which bus to take back to where they were. Malfoy stood on the sidewalk waiting for her. "Hurry up, Granger. We don't have all day."

"Stop being such a prat Malfoy. Why don't you try finding the right bus to take us back after _you_ caused all of these problems by beating up some random guy?"

"Fine, but seriously, we don't have all day."

The bus finally stopped and they both clambered on. Sitting in different chairs, they didn't look at each other. Draco didn't say anything and continued staring out the window. "Hey, Malfoy. Why did you think I told Robert we were in a relationship?"

_Why does she have to bring this up now?_ His mind darted quickly for an answer. "You seemed like you liked him…so you wanted to make him jealous and make yourself more desirable."

He turned around to see her reaction. Her face flushed and she turned to Malfoy. "You're right about me liking him, but I would never do something as horrendous as that. That's just disgusting."

"Well, good. I'm glad we agree on something."

There was something in his heart that was unsettled when she admitted that she liked him. He ignored it and turned back to look outside the window. The bus stopped and they both got off. As soon as they got off, there was a convenience store standing right in front of them. "So, we should check here."

"No, let's go somewhere else, Granger," he said sarcastically.

They walked in and saw a man with graying hair and as he turned around, Hermione saw the bright pale blue eyes in the photograph. The man without even looking at them welcomed them, "Welcome, if you need any help…"

"Malfoy," she whispered, "that's him."

"Are you sure?"

Hermione spoke up. "Yes, sir, we would like help finding something…or more of someone."

The man turned around in alarm and stole a look at them. "No, I won't go with you. You'll have to tell Dumbledore to find someone else."

With that, he apparated, leaving Hermione and Malfoy in the store. "Do you think he could be a Metamorphmagus? But, Dumbledore told us he was a muggle. How could he apparate if he was a muggle?"

Malfoy looked at her. "Maybe he is an unregistered wizard. Damn, that'll just make our job that much harder."

Hermione opened the book and took out a fountain pen. "What the hell is that Hermione?"

"The book?"

"No, that thing that you're holding in your hand."

"Oh, this was the closest thing I could find to a quill. Fountain pens use ink, but the ink is already in a bottle which is the in the pen, so it's like a quill, but not. Anyway, I found that this book only takes quills so fountain pens are the only things that you can write with in this book."

Malfoy walked over to observe the pen. _Wow, how does he always smell this good_?_ Oh gosh, I have to concentrate on my writing._ She looked at what she had written: Dumbledore, we found the man you were looking for and he always smells good. She quickly scratched it out in embarrassment and looked at Malfoy. He was smirking. "What's so funny, ferret?"

"Oh, I think I know why you wrote he smells good."

"Oh really? Then why?"

"You were thinking about Robert, weren't you?"

He smiled mockingly as if he thought he was correct. She smiled too. "Well, I'll just let you think that."

"So I was wrong?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"How did you ever get so"

Hermione smiled. He was at a loss for words. "So much like you? I guess I was around you too much for these past few weeks."

Hermione looked back down at the book. _Smell? I don't know so much about his smell. I congratulate you for finding him. Now, if you would please come back to school._ Hermione saw Malfoy's expression when he read that they should go back. _Why is he so angry? _ Malfoy grabbed the pen and book from her. "How do you use this pen?"

"Just write normally", she said feebly.

She watched him write furiously into the book. _We found him but he ran off. Where do we go next? We need more instructions, sir. I thought our goal was to find him and actually bring him back._ Hermione was very curious as to why he wanted to continue pursuing this trip. She took the book back from him immediately and began writing. _Well, sir, I thought our goal was just to locate him and make sure that he did not leave the country. We will return soon. Should we go to the Leaky Cauldron for now?_ Malfoy stared angrily at her. "Are you afraid that Weasel king is lonely without you? Or do you want to check up on Potty head?"

"Shut up ferret! I don't understand why you don't want to go back! Weren't you the one complaining about this task in the beginning of the trip? Weren't you the one who didn't want to come with someone like me?"

"Oh, you mean a mudblood? I would never want to go anywhere with you."

"Then why do you insist on pursuing this man. We have completed our task and now we can return to Hogwarts. Unless, you really like all this alone time with me."

"Like hell. I just want to execute this task properly, unlike you. I thought Miss Bookworm was a perfectionist."

"I am! And I want to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible because we're really falling behind in our studies. We have NEWTs to take!"

"Is that really the reason, Granger? I knew it. You are in love with Weasel."

"Fine, I am. Now what's your reason for wanting to stay here on this arduous journey. Do you love me something? You never said anything about liking this trip."

"Stop repeating points you've already brought up. I don't enjoy this trip, but, like I said earlier, I want to execute this task properly. And don't flatter yourself, I would never allow myself to fall in love with you."

They both looked down at the book desperately waiting for Dumbledore's reply. Finally, they saw words being written. _I'm sorry Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy. We will have to delay your return to Hogwarts. I would like you to find him for me. Seems that I have been lying to you as well – He isn't a muggle! Sorry for the inconvenience. When I hear more news of him and his new form, I will write in the book. _Hermione closed the book and sighed. "I guess you win Malfoy. We're staying for another day. Hello, Malfoy?"

Malfoy was staring straight ahead with fear in his eyes. "Granger, turn around and walk with me slowly and when I say run, run as fast as you can."

"Malfoy, what the hell? What's wrong?"

"RUN! I'm telling you run!"

Hermione saw bright lights appear from wand tips and she fell to the ground.

_**Author's Note: Wow, I haven't written this in a long time. Well, tune in to find out what happens next!**_


	12. Chapter 12: The Manager

**Disclaimer: The characters that appear in this story belong to JK Rowling.**

Draco turned around rapidly and blocked Granger with his own body. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you waste of a father?"

"I'm fulfilling my duty as a father, Draco. I need to protect you from those who would taint your blood. Now, get away from her. Any other contact with her may make you…a half blood."

He dragged out those words and glared at Draco. "You're not supposed to use magic."

His father laughed at the meekness of the words. "I thought you were supposed to be a Malfoy! Since when would you ever use that sentence with me? I suppose after you've been around a law abiding mudblood for so long, some of the filth would rub off on you. I don't even know if the Dark Lord will take you now."

"I never wanted to go with the Dark Lord, not if you're there. Stop trying to impose your dumb rules and dreams upon me."

"Oh Draco, did you forget? Did you forget the unbreakable vow you made with me as a child? The heir to the Malfoy name died and you promised that you would take his place."

"I was a child then! I couldn't have known that I would not want to become someone disgusting like you."

"Either way, once you turn 18, you will have to fulfill that unbreakable vow, otherwise, you'll die."

Draco brandished his wand and grabbed Granger's hand. "We're leaving, and you won't follow us. I don't even see why you came."

"So resolute…It seems that I have raised you well."

"Like you even did raise me! You used me for your own…"

He stopped himself. _I can't let myself be distracted. I need to get Granger and myself to a safe place._ He then apparated to the green where the Quidditch tournament took place three years ago. He kneeled on the grass and started crying. It was his destiny to become someone like his father, no matter how much he didn't want it. Then Draco looked at Granger. He started shaking her yelling, "Granger, wake up!" She didn't stir. He felt guilty; she died because of him. He then felt her pulse and found a faint beating. He quickly stood up and apparated into St. Mungo's and checked her into a room.

Hermione saw light through her eyelids and slowly opened them. She found that she was in a hospital room and looked around her. There were two other patients in the room with her and she then saw Malfoy sitting in a chair right next to her bed, asleep. She smiled and then immediately slapped herself. _Why the hell am I smiling at his being here?_

_You like him now, don't you?_

_Of course not. I like Ron. I mean, Ron and I have been together for the longest time._

She saw Malfoy moving a bit and laid back down, pretending to be asleep. She heard him stand up and walk closer to her. She then felt the covers being pulled up to her shoulders and heard his footsteps walking out. Hermione began to blush and then heard someone talk to her. "You have such a nice boyfriend, dear."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh sorry, my name is Margie. I'm in here because of my son. He just learned how to control his magic and then he accidentally let loose."

She turned and saw a woman in her 40s. "Hi, I'm Hermione, and he isn't my boyfriend."

Margie looked surprised. "Oh really? He seemed so worried when you brought in here. It also seemed as though he had been crying. He kept bothering the wizards asking them what spell had hit you and such. They had to keep him outside and when they finished healing you, they allowed him inside. Then, he pulled up a chair and sat by you for about four hours."

"Four hours! What time is it now?"

"Past 8 pm. Anyway, what is his relationship with you?"

"Well, we go to Hogwarts."

"He seems like he would be in Slytherin."

"You have a good eye. He is."

"Then how is a Gryffindor friends with a Slytherin?"

"You do have a really good eye. Well, I'm head girl and he's head boy. We were sent on a mission to find someone for Dumbledore."

"That still doesn't answer my question…how are you two friends?"

"Well, I wouldn't say we were friends…"

"Then why would he care about you so much?"

"That, even I don't know. I don't even know what happened to me. All I remember is his warning and then, I blacked out."

Just then, Malfoy reentered the room. He smiled when he saw her awake. "Granger!" He then ran over and hugged her. Hermione was extremely surprised by his actions and had no idea how to react. He then whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She felt her shoulder getting wet from his tears and comforted him awkwardly. She was extremely touched by his actions. One, he said sorry to her and two, he was crying for her safety. These were two things she had never seen Malfoy do, nor even thought Malfoy would do something as disgraceful as this. However, she was happy. His actions towards her had made her extremely happy for some reason. She was not repulsed by his actions and she eventually hugged him back and whispered, "Thank you."

They broke apart and she asked him, "What happened?"

"My father he…he was angry. I guess I have to tell you everything. I promised my father when I was younger that I would follow in his footsteps when I turned 18, after I left Hogwarts. However, my father feels that I am becoming less like him, which is true. I've grown to hate him. He wants to remind me of my duties and my promise, my _vow_ to him."

Hermione suddenly understood what he meant. "You made an unbreakable vow with him?"

Before he could say anything, the whole scene in front of her broke. Her eyes opened yet again and she saw the same setting as her dream. _What? That was all a dream?_ She saw Malfoy sitting by her side in the same chair, but he was asleep. She then looked to her side and saw Margie. Margie saw her and smiled. _Was it really a dream?_ She cautiously asked her, "Hi, but do you know who I am?"

The woman looked confused. "Should I?"

_So Malfoy really didn't hug me. Thank Merlin. _"Okay, then it was all a dream."

"Why, young lady, did you have a dream about me?"

"Yes, you told me some very interesting things about this person here."

"Oh, he brought you in here. He looked extremely worried that something happened to you."

She then saw Malfoy stir and saw him look up at her. "You're finally awake," he said coldly.

Hermione wasn't surprised by his rudeness, and she quickly snapped back. "Well, good. At least this time I woke up, you weren't crying all over me."

"What? I've never cried on you before. Why in hell would I?"

_Oh, that's right. It was a dream._ "Forget what I said…but why are you blushing?"

"It's too warm in here. Let's go."

A nurse walked in and took some checks on her and said that she was free to go. Hermione went and changed into her normal clothing and left St. Mungo's with Malfoy. "So, Malfoy, what happened back there?"

"Nothing. You fell down and hit your head."

"Are you sure?"

"Why the bloody hell are you asking? It doesn't matter. All that matters is that…nevermind."

"Is what? I am pretty sure that I saw sparks come from a wand."

Malfoy remained silent. She stopped and looked over at him. "You can tell me the truth, Malfoy. I was almost killed then and you're trying to keep the truth from me."

He looked at her sternly in the eyes. "Nothing happened. No more questions."

Hermione didn't press the situation further. She knew that he was worried about something and that was all she needed to know. However, she still had questions. _How much of that dream was real? Did he really make an unbreakable vow with his father? If so, then won't he die if he doesn't fulfill it? _"Malfoy, I have a question for you."

"I said no more questions."

"I know, but this has nothing to do with that. I just wanted to know if you ever made an unbreakable vow with anyone."

He stopped in his tracks. "What are you suggesting, Granger?"

"I'm not suggesting anything. I was just curious. I mean, I wonder if it's possible to counteract an unbreakable vow."

"Were you pretending to be unconscious?"

"Excuse me?"

She saw his eyes begin to flame with anger. _The dream must've been real then_. "Tell me this, mudblood, were you pretending to be unconscious? Were you just trying to make me worried to prove a point?"

Normally, Hermione would've said something in remark to his statement, but she resisted the temptation. She was intimidated by his anger. "No, I wasn't pretending to be unconscious."

"Then tell me, why would you even ask such a question?"

"I was just…curious."

"That's right. If someone's just curious then they'll ask about unbreakable vows. It's a very common topic."

"Why don't we just drop the subject?"

"No, tell me why you would even ask such a thing."

Hermione sighed. "You're not going to believe me even if I tell you, ferret."

Malfoy's glare pierced her. "Try me."

She sighed again and looked at him. "You were in my dream. In my dream, I woke up and you told me some information that you normally would not disclose. Then, I woke up and saw you wake up as well."

"What kind of information did I tell you?" he said, his voice dangerously calm.

Hermione stepped back a little. "You told me about an unbreakable vow between you and your father and how you didn't want to fulfill it."

"Now that you know about it, I might just have to kill you."

"Malfoy, what the hell?"

"I'm going to kill my father to overcome this stupid vow I made to my father when I was young. For Merlin's sake, I was 5! I was unable to think for myself and was hoping that my father would love me after I did such a favor for him. But, no, my attempts failed. He never did love me more, but he did keep me safe beside him because he needed me. He was using me!"

"Malfoy, I can't say I understand how you feel…"

"Like hell you do."

"But I know that you will overcome him. You're stronger than him."

All of a sudden, he started crying – out there on the street standing right next to her. She had no idea what to do. If he were Ron or Harry, she would've comforted him. But he was Malfoy – Malfoy, the evil and snide person she had always detested. She stood there awkwardly at his side and patted his shoulder. After he stopped crying, Malfoy looked at her and said, "That's the only comfort I would expect from a mudblood."

Hermione was confused. _What does he mean by that? _"Is that supposed to be a compliment, ferret?"

"I just finished pouring out my emotions and then you call me ferret? That's not very nice."

He stood up straight and looked at her. "Let's go. We should finish this job so we can get back to Hogwarts and you to your boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend!" she said hotly.

_Why the hell did I just say that? I am in love with Ron._

_You said that because you're beginning to love Malfoy as well._

_Not likely. Not likely at all._

"Did I touch a nerve? Why are you so flustered? Didn't you just admit to me a while ago that you liked him?"

"Shut up, Malfoy."

Draco was relieved that Granger didn't press any further on the subject. He was angry that he even let himself cry in front of her, but glad that she didn't say anything rude to him. After a moment of silence, Draco spoke. "So, we still have to find the guy who we now know is a Metamorphagus and Dumbledore said he'd write in the book if he found at anything."

He saw Granger fumbling in her bag for the book to see if Dumbledore had written anything new. She pulled out the pen and began writing in the book. _Dumbledore, have you found out anything new about the man? We have no idea where to start._ In reply, they saw words in loopy handwriting appear. _I have nothing for you, but I suggest you go back where he used to work and talk to his manager about where he was formerly employed and if he has his phone number._ Granger shut the book at looked up at Draco. "Let's go back to that convenience store and ask for information. Then we can return to the hotel."

They walked side by side saying nothing to each other. Draco looked over at Granger and realized that she didn't want to say anything to make him angry. He felt a pang of guilt about threatening her, but that guilt subsided immediately. _It's her fault for finding out. I would've never told her about it. I can deal with it myself._ But somewhere in his heart, he knew that he was actually a bit relieved that someone else knew. That way, he wouldn't feel as alone as he did before. They finally reached the store and opened the door, bells ringing, welcoming their entrance. The cashier looked over at them and back at the magazine he was reading. Granger walked up to him and asked, "Is the manager in?"

"You're looking at him, young lady."

"I have a question about one of your employees. We don't know his name, but he has white hair and icy eyes…"

"Isn't that guy him then?" the manager said pointing at Draco.

Draco shot him a dirty look. "I'm not an old geezer, mister."

"OH, so you were talking about Mr. Marcus. He came in one day asking for a job so I gave one to him. I didn't have any other employees at the time so I decided it wouldn't be too bad to have someone work while I took breaks."

"How is he as a person?" Granger asked.

"He's very nice. However, he's the type of person you have to get to know before you find out he's nice. He's very intimidating looking – as you probably know," he said eyeing them. "Is he in trouble?"

"No, he isn't. We were just wondering if you could tell us where he was formerly employed though."

"I have no idea. I didn't ask for a resume."

"But surely it's part of procedure."

"As I told you earlier, I hired him on the spot. You don't need a resume for this. He never told me where he previously worked either so I never tried to know. Now, please leave my store."

Granger pressed on. "Sir, please, this man may be my friend's father. He's the only lead we've got."

Draco's head immediately snapped in her direction. _My father!? What the hell?_ Granger gave him a cold stare. "So, you think he's your father? What makes you think that?"

"I don't think you're one to question me."

"Then, I can assume that you're lying to me, can't I? Now, leave."

Granger grabbed Draco's wrist. "Give us a second, won't you? He's a bit angry at his father because he left without saying a word…well, anyway. Please, we're not lying."

The manager nodded his head and returned to tidying up. Draco was pulled away and Granger whispered fiercely, "You're ruining everything! Why won't you just play along?"

"And since when were you so good at lying?"

"Oh, be quiet. This is not the time to be discussing that. Anyway, just play along. Weren't you the one who wanted to continue this search?"

"Fine, but you owe me."

They both turned around to face the manager and Draco glared at the manager. "Alright, I'll answer any question you might have. But you have to tell us where he is."

The manager dropped the worn out rag that he was using and looked up at them. He walked around the cash register and stood in front of Draco, so closely that Draco could smell his dirty breath. "I can believe the girl, but how am I supposed to believe you? You seem like a sneaky and clever boy so I find it hard to trust you. Tell me why I should believe that you are really searching for your father."

"If you believe my friend here, then you must believe me as she is helping me find my father. If you don't trust me, then you're contradicting your previous statement."

The manager laughed. "Now you're trying to change the subject at hand. However, you do make a valid point. Except, I still can't trust you."

Draco let out a sigh of frustration. "Come on, this man is not going to help us find him."

He saw Granger give the manager a look of disappointment, turn her head in frustration, and storm out of the store. Draco was amazed by this act and he shoved his hands in his pocket and headed towards the door. "So, is the girl your girlfriend?" he heard the manager ask.

"Why would you ask something like that?"

"She seems to care for you a lot. Not many people would be more upset than the actual son when trying to find one's parents."

"She's too emotional sometimes. I only want to find him so I can give him a piece of my mind," Draco said, still acting.

"What'd he ever do to you?"

"He ruined my family," he said with anger thinking about his own father.

The manager raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry for not believing you. I would've never thought he was running around without an ID because he was trying to avoid his family. He was such a polite man."

"That's what my mother said too. He deceives people."

After a moment's pause, the manager spoke up. "Well, call your girlfriend back in. I'll give you as much information I have about him."

Draco looked the manager in the eyes and said, "Sure."

He walked outside and found Granger leaning on a wall. "Come on, Granger. He's giving us the information. I need you to write it down."

"You convinced him ferret?"

"Of course I did. I'm much more talented than you."

They both walked back inside the store and saw the manager's back. "So, what information do you have?"

The manager slowly turned around in an eerie fashion, as though he was controlled by strings. Granger gasped and grabbed onto Draco when they both saw his face. The manager had been killed, by Nagini. Voldemort was after the same man as Dumbledore was, except Voldemort was one step closer to finding him, and killing him.

_**Author's Note: Not as much romance in this chapter, but Draco didn't deny being Hermione's boyfriend…Anyway, sorry for the lack of updates. I've been busy. Look forward to more Hermione/Draco action in the next chapter!**_


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